Androni Giocattoli Sidelmec's latest signing is former Olympic cross-country skier, and after the Spaniard put up some impressive test lab numbers, they likened him to former athlete and 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal.

Marti Vigo del Arco will join the Italian professional team for the 2021 season. He previously represented Spain at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics as a skier.

Vigo has been described by the team as a "new bet" and has been mentioned in reference to the way Bernal was discovered and developed before moving to the World Tour and winning the Tour de France.

Vigo took up cycling after his partner, fellow skier Lydia Iglesias, did the same. She turned pro this year with the Cronos Casa Dorada team and competed in the La Vuelta Challenge. Vigo, meanwhile, has made a name for himself on the local national scene, winning the Aragon Regional Championships in northern Spain and placing 13th in the Memorial Balenciaga.

He was soon invited by Patsy Villa, head of performance at Movistar, to undergo a physical test.

Vigo was picked up by Italian talent scout and agent Paolo Alberti, who works with former world champion Maurizio Fondriest. According to the team's press release, he "did not miss the opportunity to bet on new talent following the team's youth projects."

Savio has built his reputation and established something of a business model by signing long-term contracts with World Tour teams.

In Androni's own press release, Vigo is described as "a story reminiscent of Bernal."

"When Alberti himself introduced him at the end of the Agostoni Cup and proposed [Bernal] to various teams, Gianni Savio was ready to bet the most on the South American talent without hesitation and based on his excellent physical value. I don't know if this story is being repeated."

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