Italian sprinter Jakub Maleczko (opens in new tab) joins Vini Zabou-KTM (opens in new tab), the Tuscan professional team where he began his career after two World Tour-level seasons with the CCC team (opens in new tab) Return to.

Maleczko was born in Poland, but moved to Italy with his family when he was five years old. He started racing in Brescia as a boy and turned pro in 2015 with the Southeast team (known as Vini Zabú-KTM).

"I'm going back to my second home, to the team where I turned pro as a youngster and won a lot of races," Maletzko said.

"Over the past two years, I think I have grown by working with my teammates and challenging my competitors. I think I have grown over the past two years by working with my teammates and by taking on my rivals. I am very motivated and I want to show that from the start of the 2021 season."

During his 2020 season with the CCC, Maletzko won three stages at the Tour de Hongri and took several placings before and after the COVID-19 blockade, including third place at the Vuelta a España. Most of his 43 wins came in China, where he dominated the sprints at the Tour of Hainan and Tour of Tai Fu Lake.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the CCC team hard, forcing Polish shoe retailers to close hundreds of stores.

Brands stopped funding the team, and team manager Jim Ochowicz was forced to take a deep pay cut and make his staff temporarily redundant.

Ochowicz was unable to find a new sponsor and eventually sold the team and its World Tour license to the Belgian Circus - Wanty Gobert team.

Most of the riders and staff of the CCC ProTeam have found their places for 2021,

but Will Barta, Camille Gradec, Michael Parta, Guillaume Van Kersbulck, and Lukas Wisniowski have not yet finalized their futures.

Matteo Trentin has signed with UAE Team Emirates, Greg van Avermaat with AG2R Citroen, Ilnur Zakarin with Gazprom, and American Joey Roskov with Rally Cycling.

Vini-Zabu-KTM lost team leader Giovanni Visconti to Italian rival Bardiani-CSF, and hopes that Maletzko's return will lead to a wildcard entry into the Giro d'Italia and other major races.

"It's great to have 'Kuba' (Jakub Maleczko) back. He is definitely at the center of our plans and that will help him," said Luca Sikunto of Vini Zabou-KTM.

"The last two years we haven't had success in the sprints, so it's going to be great to have him back.

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