Elia Viviani said he chose to return to Ineos Grenadier because it was the right "project" for him, revealing that he not only wants to win races, but also help a new generation of riders do the same.

The Italian sprinter spent three years with the British team from 2015 to 2017, followed by two years with Deceuninck-QuickStep and the last two years with Cofidis.

Speaking at the Giro d'Italia criterium in Dubai on Saturday after a relative two-year break with the French team, Viviani said he is eager to return to familiar surroundings.

"I'm 32 years old and I'm going back there because I want to go back to the team (mechanism, organization, everything) that I know.

"I don't want to think about anything, I just want to think about performance."

Viviani had the option to return to Dečuninck-Quick Step, but chose Ineos because of his relationship with fellow time trial world champion Filippo Ganna, who He admitted that he had no choice but to return to De Tuninck Quickstep.

"I had two paths, Dettunc and Ineos, but the Ineos project was the bigger one for me.

"Now I am different and I think Ineos is different. They want to win more and I want to win more. Winning races. It's easy to say, but what I have understood in my two years at Cofidis is that what looks easy is never easy."

During his three years with Ineos Grenadiers, Viviani won 19 races, but his opportunities were limited, especially in the Grand Tours, as the team focused on overall contention in the stage races.

However, he would return to a different type of team.

"There is a lot of young talent on the team, as well as an experienced group like G [Geraint Thomas]. When you mix this experienced group with super talented guys like Tom Pidcock, Ethan Hayter, and Filippo Ganna, it's a really good mix."

"We have to help these racers get to the top. I still want to win a lot of races, but I think Hayter is a really phenomenal rider. We still need to have the first meeting, but then I will understand everything about what they expect from me and what I can give to the team."

Viviani won four stages of the Giro d'Italia, one stage of the Tour de France, and three stages of the Vuelta a España during his time with Detunink-Quick Step before moving to Cofidis.

However, the 2020 season with Cofidis was marred by a pandemic and ended without a win for the first time in his career. In his second season with the French team, he won seven races, winning a bronze medal in track at the Olympics and an elimination race in track at the World Championships.

The Italian explained: "Perhaps it was a pandemic or a family situation. It's a new atmosphere, new teammates, and a new direction in the midst of a pandemic. That combination was really unfortunate."

"2021 got off to a bad start with the news of the heart surgery. The best moment was definitely the Olympics. The Giro d'Italia gave me back my confidence, but not the stage wins I missed in 2021. He won seven road races, which was still a good victory. I just missed some big wins, like the Tirreno stage and the Giro stage."

However, Viviani has a lot of respect for the Cofidis team. The passion of the Cofidis family is unbelievable. With this pandemic and everything, maybe I needed another year to reach my level in Cofidis. Unfortunately, the contract was for two years and now we have another project on our road.

"What I learned is that putting pieces together like a lead-out is not very easy to duplicate, and after two years with Deceuninck, everything seems easy, but it wasn't. That's what I learned. It looks easy, but it is never easy.

"I have to thank Cofidis. They invested in me and believed in our project. Now we are on a different path."