The last month of road racing in the 2012 season is now over. Most riders are looking forward to get a break, while others got new goals at the indoor track circuits. But October hasn't just been a month of resting. Many races have been ridden, and among these a single World Tour race as well. For Team Sky, October started out with Nordhaug receiving his first win of the year in Coppa Sabatini. Only days after, Nordhaug was second in the Giro dell'Emilia, while Ben Swift managed to take second place in the prestigious Paris - Tours.


Tour of Beijing was to be ridden for the second time in its history, which happened to turn out as a true Sky dominated race. Sky leader Geraint Thomas won the opening prologue and kept the leader's jersey for the rest of the race. Not less than three stage wins and wins in both general and points classification was what the Sky team ended their tremendously great 2012 season with.

Joaqium Rodriguez became the final winner of the World Tour, after a great season with lots of wins and good placings. Chris Froome ended up as the best Sky rider in third place, close followed by Bradley Wiggins in fifth. On the team rankings nothing changed in the month of October, making Team Sky the winner in front of Radioshack.


In the CQ rankings things got really tense at the very end, with Peter Sagan moving up in second, only 13 points behind world champion Fabian Cancellara. But Cancellara nevertheless turned out as winner of the CQ rankings. Best Sky rider became Chris Froome in sixth. In the team rankings Team Sky took the victory in front Radioshack.


I didn't gain a lot of points this month, but well i didn't lose any either. Therefore no serious changes were made in my placings this month. I've never dreamed of becoming 41 in the World Tour rankings in my first year as a professional cyclist. It's a dream coming true!

Leaderboard	Ranking	Points
World Tour	41 (-1)	117
CQ-Ranking	38 (+2)	789

I've kept my shape very high since last month where i won in Québec. But even though of my shape, i have been helping my leaders here in October, picking up rain jackets, feedbags and water bottles. I have no bad feelings, since i think it was the right way to end this season, where i've got a lot of opportunities myself. Kind of a gesture for peoples at the team, welcoming me in the great way they've done.


I'm looking so much forward to get home to Italy and relax with my family and girlfriend, and to get a small break from cycling after all. It has been a long and exhausting season with many new impressions and feelings. But nevertheless i'm sure that only a month will pass by, and i'll miss racing again. That's the way it has to be!

A real team-mate is a rider who is willing to sacrifice his own chances in favor of another rider. Juan Antonio Flecha has been in the shadow of the victors this October month, even though he could have done some amazing things on his own, with the great shape he has had.


Flecha accepted that the team focused on Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift this month, after the britons' long and committed preparation towards Paris - Tours and the Tour of Beijing. Without hesitation Flecha was ready to take on the helping role, without knowing what he could have done on his own. That is the reason why Juan Antonio Flecha deserves the last team-mate of the month award, in the 2012 season.

Thanks guys! I'm working on the first part of the big season review, it will be good Estimated time unknown!

@Ollfardh: No, it turned out to be Farnese Vini ahead of Vacansoleil and Orica - Greenedge. You can sum it all up in Salvatore's contract section: Right Here!

I've had a fantastic year as neo-pro with much more success than most new rookies ever dares to dream about. I've had my darker moments too, but when looking back at my 2012 season, it's obvious that the better moments overshadows the less fun episodes throughout the season. But some moments have been in a category for itself, and therefore i've picked out my personal top five moments of my season.

Number five on the list is my first professional "win", according to how you look at it. I was given a free role at the Vuelta a Castilla y León, which i exploided from the very first stage by taking the mountain leaders jersey. At the second stage i took up some secondary placings in the mountain sprints, just enough to secure the jersey for the last stage. I knew that i had to go on the break at the final third stage to prevent other riders from taking the jersey, and so it went. I won two of three sprints along the stage, securing me the mountain jersey once and for all. It was a great boost of confidence towards the classics.

Number four on my list was really difficult to place, but no doubt that this was one of the greatest achievements of my season. After the huge separating at the Redoute climb, only 22 riders managed to stay at the front of the race. Among these riders, a tiny Italian neo-pro named Salvatore lay. Eventually only 13 riders was at the front group when Rodriguez drove over the finish line, but i was still a part of this group, ending up in 12th, just in front of my biggest idol Óscar Freire. Being in such company in such race was almost too good to be true and i still look to it as a milestone in my career as cyclist.

Third on my list is my first professional win, which i achieved at stage 2 in the Post Danmark Rundt. At the 10 kilometer mark i went away alone, trying to go for the solo surprise. It took some time for the chasing teams in the pack to get organized, and that resulted in me taking a great solo victory, even though the pack got very close in the end. The win was really special for me, especially because it was my first. I hope for many of these wins to come in the future. You have to start somewhere, and this happened to the place where i started.

Silver medal goes to one of this season's most surprising results. At the startline of the Fléche Wallonne, nobody including myself, had ever expected me to eventually finish fifth in this big classic. As in the other Ardennes classics this year, a big group were to decide the win in a sprint. And due to great positioning at the bottom of the Mur de Huy, i was able to keep riders like Gasparotto, Moreno and Costa behind me at the finish. It was a crazy day for me, and it was a big part of my 2012-breakthrough. I'll never forget this extremely exciting day.

As i thought i couldn't get any bigger, my results of this season just strikes me once again. I've of course saved this final first spot for the biggest win of my whole career. At the 7th of September i stood on the startline in Canada with a perfectly timed shape, with fresh legs against a lineup with many tired and exhausted riders. I had free opportunity to attack, and as the race developed i did indeed use this opportunity. With 20 kilometres to the finish i attacked with Rabobank's Wynants. We built up a great lead even though Wynants wasn't very cooperative, and with 8 km to go, there was flat front in the pack. Either Wynants or i was going to win this one for sure. Wynants tried to get past me on the final kilometer, but he was totally exhausted. With a big distance to Wynants, i was therefore able to cross the line and take my biggest victory ever. This was one of my happiest days ever.

At the start of the season i started making a list, just a little one, with personal goals i wanted to achieve in my first season. I gave them stars as to whether they were realistic or just a dream scenario. What came out of it was determined plan that i focussed a lot on, which gave me an extraordinary result. I achieved every single goal!


Here is the top 5 goals in term of results.

Along the season i have praised the helpers of the team. The true team mates! Every month except from May, June and Juli, where i had a big racing break, i have elected a rider from the team who had made a special performance throughout the month. Not only on the roads have people on the team been helping, but also out of competition and on a friendly level. If i were to pick one reason of staying at the team, the people around me would have been my first impulsive choice.

Race results and seperate placings don't stand alone these days. Rankingspoints are a integrated part of the cycling world today, sad or good, that's how it is! But nevertheless these points are very important for the team managers, and a decisive friend if you want to have a new contract, not to forget the large amount of prestige alongside.

Due to a great season, i have earned a 41th place in the World Tour rankings, and a 38th spot in the CQ rankings. In other words, i have been a part of the 45 best riders in the world this season, if you should trust the rankings! That's pretty amazing and it is really unexpected. But this just settles how great a season i have had infact. Though, do never forget that rankings are only just rankings!

When i started my career as professional cyclist back in January, i wasn't sure where i stood and how my abilities would comprehend with the professional races. But i think i've found my spot this year and i have found out how i would like to develop in the future.

Especially in the hilly one-day classics, i have been riding very well and felt good. Therefore i've worked on my endurance and acceleration on the hills a lot, and i think these will be my sharpest skills towards the future. But when that is said, i haven't yet let go of my sprinting ability, which i've proved several times throughout the season. I hope to keep that ability as well as my climbing ability in the future.

This will be the end of my very first season as a professional cyclist, seen from my perspective. I'm very proud of what i've achieved and how far i've reached on such short amount of time. I'm looking forward to next season, where i'll have to live up to this season's achievements. It will be difficult, but i'm confident in my abilities. I'm also looking very much forward to meet my new team-mates at the Farnese - Vini team, and see how things will work out there. But before i'll go on holiday, i'll update you with a season review about the World Tour season, instead of my season. See you there next time!

@Jesleyh: Indeed this season has been much greater than ever expected. Salvatore has really shown what great future lies in him.

@Ollfardh, the_hoyle and TomC: Thanks guys! Well, if there'll be a next year... I'm still considering whether to follow up.

@sutty68: Thanks! As said, i'm still considering whether to continue. That also depends on when the new patch will come and how the daily db will be, because i don't think i want to continue in Pcm2012...

@admirschleck, Miguel98 and nielsboy1998: Thank you very much for the great words guys!