Italian (re)naissance in the UCI Women’s WorldTour

Marta Cavalli's victory in the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition on Sunday is a jewel in the crown of Italian successes so far in the 2022 UCI Women's WorldTour.

Elisa Balsamo still leads the overall standings, with Italy’s next best placed rider, Marta Bastianelli, in fifth position. And there are other young talents knocking at the door with three more Italians in the top 15 of the UCI Women’s WorldTour Rankings: Sofia Bertizzolo (10), Cavalli (up from 47 to 11) and Silvia Persico (15).

Cavalli turned 24 years old last month. The Italian Classics hunter from FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope went on to claim her biggest career win a few weeks later, when she powered to victory on the roads of the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition, claiming her first UCI Women’s WorldTour success and imposing her skills at the forefront of the new generation of Italian riders rising to glory in the wake of Balsamo’s triumphs.

Seven events in the leading series for women’s professional cycling have been raced so far in 2022; four of them have led to Italian successes. The first race, Strade Bianche, didn’t favour the young local stars on their roads, with the more experienced Elisa Longo Borghini (30) the best of the home talents, in 8th position. A week later, her new Trek-Segafredo teammate Balsamo had to settle for 2nd in the Miron Ronde van Drenthe. But successes were about to come thick and fast.

After Belgian Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx) and the Netherlands’ Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) took the first two UCI Women’s WorldTour wins of the season, Balsamo imposed her rainbow jersey in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune de Cittiglio, the Exterioo Classic Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields. Kopecky returned to the top spot in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, but Cavalli was unleashed in the Amstel Gold Race and Balsamo took the opportunity to strengthen her lead in the overall standings, finishing 8th in Valkenburg.

Already exceeding 2021 results

These four successes already see Italian cyclists better their record from 2021, when Longo Borghini won Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio and the GP de Plouay - Lorient-Agglomération Trophée Ceratizit, with Balsamo and Marta Bastianelli also taking two stages of the Women’s Tour late in the season.

And more youngsters are knocking at the door of success. Following Balsamo’s tracks in the ranks of Valcar-Travel & Service, Silvia Persico (24) and Chiara Consonni (22) have both featured in the top-ten of UCI Women’s WorldTour events this season and have claimed strong results in other events.

Riding for UAE Team ADQ, Sofia Bertizzolo (24) has also impressed, most notably finishing 2nd in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. On that day, the slightly more experienced Soraya Paladin (who joined Canyon//Sram Racing at 28 years old this season) joined her and Balsamo on the podium, making it the first Italian sweep on their home Classic since 1995!

With 34-year-old Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) and 29-year-old Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team) joining the party, Italian riders have claimed 9 of the 21 podium spots so far in the 2022 UCI Women’s WorldTour. That equals the whole of 2021, when six of the nine went to Longo Borghini.

Rivals and friends

Among the most talented riders of her generation, Longo Borghini has already put her experience at Balsamo’s service, most notably when she helped her claim the rainbow stripes at the 2021 UCI Road World Championships and again this season at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio. “It was very important for me to have Elisa,” Balsamo says about her first months with Trek-Segafredo. “I already knew her, we are friends, so it made things easier for me having her with me.” She now feels “stronger than ever”.

Balsamo’s former teammates at Valcar-Travel & Service also know her well and appear inspired by her string of successes. The Italian sprinter can shine on different terrains, and last autumn saw her take two medals at the Tissot UCI Track World Championships, in addition to her title on the road. Persico is another versatile talent, who won the bronze medal at the 2022 Walmart UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

As for Consonni, she was part of the same Italian team that claimed silver in the pursuit with Balsamo. This spring, she’s eager to battle against her friend and rival: “Elisa is now the best rider in the world and fighting with her motivates me,” Consonni said after winning Dwars door Vlaanderen at the end of March. “It’s good for Italian cycling.”