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Arrivederci Brambi and Nizzolo!
Two legends of cycling say goodbye to the sport this month: Giacomo Nizzolo and Gianluca – ‘Brambi’ – Brambilla. Nizzolo did so in Coppa Bernocchi on 6th October and Brambi in the Veneto Classic on Sunday 19th October.
Both Italians have been part of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for the past three seasons so it was a good moment to sit down with them one last time to look back upon their careers, the lessons learned and to hear what’s next?
17 October 2025
The decision to retire wasn’t taken on one day or at one specific moment. It took some time to decide but both riders know this is the right moment.
“It was a process that took a few months,” Nizzolo said. “This winter I already had the idea, but I said to myself: let’s see how the first months go. After the Classics it was clear to me it was the right decision to stop.”
Brambi echoes the same sentiment. “It was more or less like with Giacomo. I decided to do a winter as always, at a 100% and then I would start racing to see how it goes. I was 80% sure this was the last year but then with the crash and the injury in Tirreno Adriatico and all the hard racing, the decision was already made in the spring.”
There are many races on the calendar the two Italians have raced throughout their long careers but there is a clear favourite when it comes to the races they will miss the most. For Brambi it’s the feeling of Strade Bianche, a race he did ten times and came in third in, in 2016.
“For me it’s Milan-Sanremo I will miss the most and I won’t miss Strade at all, so the opposite to Brambi,” Nizzolo smiles. “I loved the Classics again this year, like Paris-Roubaix. I did crash but without that moment I think we could have had a good result. I only raced it a few times but that is a race I would have liked to do a few more times.”
“I wouldn’t miss a rainy or a snowy day in the Giro d’Italia or Gran Camiño,” Brambi reflects. When told the race is now moved from February to April he laughs. “I had to retire for this but now they understood.”
Mentorship
Brambi and Nizzolo are the two most experienced riders on the team, with 16 and 15 years in the pro peloton respectively, so naturally both have been a mentor to the team’s younger riders. It’s a role they took on with pride.
“I hope I was a mentor,” Nizzolo says. “I gave my best to share my experiences with them, and I hope they got some good advice. The most important is to manage your race, when to spend your energy and when to stay calm. That is something you learn racing a lot. I spoke to Nicoló Parisini, Matteo Moschetti and Rory Townsend quite a lot and when I could, I shared my advice,” said Nizzolo.
“I have been part of the team for three years, so I saw a few neo-pros like Walter Calzoni grow up,” Brambi adds. “I tried to give them my best advice, on and off the race. It’s about training and preparation but also recovery. Some tend to overdo these things as young guys. I tried to give advice to most riders although I never stopped learning myself, even in this last year. “
Walter Calzoni has really enjoyed having his most experienced compatriots as his mentors. He turned pro with the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in 2023 and shared the past three years with Brambi and Nizzolo.
“I haven’t raced much with Nizzolo, but I got to know him better this year at the training camp in Livigno, and I certainly admire his professionalism and his shrewdness in racing. I also admire how he always gives 110%, even in races that don’t suit him.
Brambi, on the other hand, has been my mentor and point of reference since I turned professional. He has helped me a lot. He was a bit of an idol to me because when I was little, I watched him win a stage and wear the pink jersey in the Giro, and I remember that in the days that followed, he helped his captain by pulling even though he was wearing the pink jersey. I think this gesture expresses the kind of person he is without needing any explanation.
Since my first year, I have admired his professionalism and determination in the race but above all outside the race, because he is the first to do core sessions in the morning and always stretches before going to sleep.
His greatest strength is his ability to remain calm even in critical situations during the race and to think clearly to solve any problems that may arise. He has excellent race insights, but more importantly, he is able to bring the team together. I have shared wonderful moments with him, but also difficult ones, and he always has the right words to comfort you.
Next year our paths will separate, but I will cherish his advice. I hope one day to have the honour of having him in the team car because, in my opinion, he will be one of those directors who give that little bit extra to the team.”
Nicoló Parisini has raced alongside Brambi and Nizzolo for the past three seasons too. The sprinter and lead-out rider said on his relationship with Nizzolo.
“I developed a wonderful relationship with Nizzo. I have a lot of respect for him as a person, for his way of doing things, for being genuine and sincere and not wearing a mask.
Over the last two months, we spent at least 30 days together in hotels, and even though these were his last races, he was determined to end his career on a high note. Nizzo had so much class when racing. You never saw him during the race, but when it mattered, he was there, in the right place at the right time.
I am happy I had the opportunity to share my first years as a professional with him. I still remember when he told me about his preparation for Milan-Sanremo 2020, when he finished fifth. He told me about every training session, the training sessions behind motorbikes after six hours on the bike. Sanremo is the race of my dreams and his too, and we talked about it a lot.
I have many fond memories, and I know that our relationship will continue beyond sport and cycling. I am sure he will be on the side of the road cheering me on, and I hope one day to give him some joy too.”
Golden Days
When looking back on their careers there have been amazing days. Nizzolo names a Giro stage as a highlight but also winning the European championships and becoming Italian champion twice. Especially, the second time in 2020 meant a lot because he came back after a big injury.
This season he looks back fondly on that day in Hamburg where Rory Townsend held off an entire peloton to win against all the odds.
“Hamburg was a very special day for me. It’s always been a special race and Rory has been a special teammate. To see him win that day, is a day I won’t forget so soon.”
Brambilla has highlights like wearing the pink jersey in the Giro d’Italia in over a 1,000 days of racing throughout his career.
“When I was a kid, I watched the Giro and saw the Maglia Rosa. In 2016 I won a stage in the Giro d’Italia and got to wear the maglia rosa. My family travelled south and my daughter who was a newborn at the time came to see me. That was a dream come true.”
“This year I started with a great condition, and it was nice to almost win Ruta de Sol with Tom. Then I got the injury in Tirreno and was a bit behind for a while. Coming back in a top ten in Tour de l’Ain with big names from the Tour de France, was nice for me. Even the last races I felt good, and I wanted to make them memorable.”
Whats Next
There are no big plans post-retirement for Brambi. He is a family man through and through and looks forward to normal everyday family life after having travelled so much in his career. He is also completing the sports director’s course with the UCI in Aigle at the end of October for a potential future job in cycling.
“I look forward to not having to train in the rain anymore but just ride when I want to ride. And I want to go skiing with my daughter Asia. She is so happy I will be home more now. Asia is much more experienced than me right now on the skis,” he smiles.
Nizzolo is also just looking forward to the small things in life now he is retired, like not setting an alarm in the morning or enjoying rides on his motor bike.
Finally, they think back about one piece of advice they would give their younger selves. Both Italians mention to stress less and enjoy more because the life of a procyclist is a privileged one.
“I think I stressed too much at training camp when I was young,” Nizzolo says. “I always saw it as a test and that stressed me. Later I realized it’s just training and not a race. You didn’t need to show how strong you are at camp. That’s something I really learned but in races, I never was too stressed from the start.”
“I would tell my younger self to relax a bit more when a race doesn’t go as expected,” Brambi adds. “If you work hard and stay relaxed, the results will come sooner or later. And maybe also be a bit less strict about racing and diets, as I was before. It will be all okay in the end.”
We thank Brambi and Nizzolo for everything they added to the team and wish them a happy retirement. They will forever be part of the Q36.5 family.
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