Elia Viviani will be back in the saddle on Friday, preparing for the 2020 campaign with his new WorldTour team, Cofidis.

The Italian sprinter has left Detuning Quick-Step to take a leadership role with Cofidis as the French team steps up from the Professional Continental level to the WorldTour. He will wear the distinctive European champion jersey on the road and the Italian Azzurra jersey on the track, targeting Team Pursuit, Omnium, and Madison.

"My new bike arrives on Friday and it will be the start of a new chapter: after a three-week break, I want to start again," Viviani told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Italian sports press revealed that Cofidis will use a DeRosa bike with Campagnolo components, Fulcrum wheels, and Vision handlebars. In the Detuning Quickstep, Viviani was riding a Specialized equipped with Shimano.

"The first week is about getting used to the new bike. Like every year, it feels like you've never ridden a bike before in your life, but if your legs hurt for a few days, you'll feel better."

"I took a three-week vacation, so I'm up to 75 kg. Once I start training again, I'll start eating like a rider again."

Viviani moved to Monaco last year and hopes to enjoy the mild winters of the Côte d'Azur.

"First of all, I'm going to focus on quantity rather than intensity, and I'm going to ride tired on the couch. The hills around Monaco help because I climb at least 2,500 meters every time," he explains.

"First, I take two days of training and one day of rest, then later switch to the classic three-one.

Cofidis signed Viviani as part of his new World Tour project. Nasser Bouhanni will move to Arkea Samsic, and Viviani will be supported by longtime lead-out Fabio Sabatini and Madison partner Simone Conssoni. Cofidis has also signed Australians Nathan Haas and Julien Vermort and French climber Guillaume Martin.

Viviani is eager to defend the omnium gold medal he won in 2016, but is expected to rack up sprint victories early in the season and at the Tour de France. in Deceuninck-QuickStep, he has 11, including his first stage in the Tour de France wins.

In 2018, he won 18 races, four stages at the Giro d'Italia and three at the Vuelta a España. Although he no longer has the support of the Belgian superteam, Cofidis hopes he can repeat at least some of his sprint success.

"They wanted a leader at the top of the UCI ranking, a sprinter who could also do well in the classics," Viviani explained.

"With (Michael) Morkov gone for the sprints, Sabatini will be back as the last man. Laporte will provide important support, especially on the first big Milan-San Remo finish."

Viviani will make his racing debut with Cofidis at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January. Running the Tour de France and then switching to the track for the Tokyo Olympics will be a test of his talent and adaptability, but Viviani is confident he can do it.

"After running the Giro d'Italia in 2018 and the Tour de France in 2019, I got the best results. That's the best path to success."