Elia Viviani won nine times this year and he confirmed that he was one of the best sprinters in the pro peloton. The Team Sky rider finished the 2015 season with two stage wins at the Abu Dhabi Tour. Interviewed by Cyclingnews, the Italian ralked about his season.

This season, he was strong. His first victory was at the Dubai Tour in February, beating Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step). He also won three stages at the Tour of Britain, one stage at the Eneco Tour, one stage at the Giro d'Italia and the team time trial at the Tour de Romandie.

"We were hoping to finish the season with 10 victories, but we messed up the first stage here in Abu Dhabi. It’s not a problem though, nine wins is still good. This year I feel I’ve really improved at Team Sky. We decided what were the big appointments, my best objectives, and prepared for them in the best way," Viviani explained.

"I’ve improved in the sprints and feel I’m competitive against the big sprinters in the world. My development has happened step by step, but Team Sky has been a big help and a big factor this year. I found some new motivation and had lots of strong teammates around me. Now I need to make another step up so I can aim for the Classics. With the right focus and build up, I don’t think Classics like Milan-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem, Hamburg and the GP Plouay are out of reach."

He told also about the next World Championships. This event will take place in Doha, Qatar. "It is a big focus for me in 2016. But you need good and strong riders to work for it all together. It’s not easy because the riders that create the national team come from different trade teams. We’ll need a good group and a good lead out for Qatar. It’ll have to be perfect, but there’s no real reason why we can’t win the world title."