The breakout athlete of the 2022 women's cycling panorama, bronze medalist at both the Cyclocross and Road World Championships, the Italian rider will make her World Cup seasonal debut in Val di Sole on December 17th. "Vermiglio is the ultimate challenge. I look forward to meeting the home crowd”
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Arguably one of the greatest stories of the 2022 cycling year, following two bronze medals at the World Cyclocross Championships in Fayetteville and the World Road Championships in Wollongong, Silvia Persico and her potential are no more a secret to her rivals.
The 25-year-old rider from Bergamo enjoyed a breakout season, adding a standout performance at the Tour de France Femmes to the two World medals. Such course has taken her to a new stage of awareness and reputation: she is now regarded as the Italian reference for the cyclocross Winter, which for Persico has started only a couple of weeks ago.
After warming up with three wins in the Valfontanabuona Grand Prix, Vittorio Veneto Cyclocross and Ciclocross del Ponte, Silvia Persico will kick-off her World Cup season on December 17th, with the home round in Val di Sole. One year ago, she was 10th on the Val di Sole snow.
“Last year's test in Val di Sole was one of the hardest of the year, especially in terms of riding," Silvia Persico explained. "In cyclocross, I still have some gaps from a technical point of view, and the choice to start with dry tubulars made it difficult for me in the first laps. It is one of the most challenging races on the circuit. It requires gentle handling, not really my piece of cake."
Last year, Persico was impressed by the reaction of the home crowd, whose warmth and passion was audible at the 1,300 meters asl of the Laghetti di San Leonardo in Vermiglio. The only World Cup stage on Italian soil represents a unique spot for cyclocross and an opportunity for the entire movement.
“Having a World Cup round in Italy is crucial for our movement, as the passion of our fans is something truly unique that gives us Italian athletes an extra boost. That, and not only the snow, makes Val di Sole's stage one of a kind," argued Persico.
Even though the snowcross race happens to be in the early part of her season with just a few races in the legs, Persico aims at repeating the top-10 spot achieved last year. “At the moment, I still lack some rhythm to keep up withthe strongest riders. I think Fem Van Empel and Puck Pieterse have started off the season on the right foot, and they will be the favourites in Vermiglio as well."
Throughout the last season, Silvia Persico showed she can compete with the best cyclocross athletes, as shown by several good placements in the World Cup, topped by the bronze medal at the World Championships in Fayetteville in the United States. A confidence boost that allowed her to emerge on the road as well, grazing the rainbow jersey in Australia as well. Yet another example of cycling becoming increasingly multidisciplinary.
"I hope to repeat last year's cyclocross season", said Persico, "defending the National Champion's jersey and possibly repeating myself at the World Championships. The rainbow jersey is the dream of a career and recently I came close to it twice. The overall performance of the cyclocross season certainly gave me a major boost for the road season, both in awareness and condition. Doing 50 minutes at full speed in cyclocross races gives you much more than a training session."
The cyclocross World Cup program in Val di Sole will start on Friday, December 16th, with free practice from 2 to 4 p.m. (all-time CET), ahead of the races on Saturday, December 17th, preceded by another free practice session (10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.). The Women's Elite test will start at 1 p.m., followed by the Men's Elite at 2:30 p.m., while at 4 p.m. the riders' party will bring music and lots of fun. Tickets for Saturday are on sale at www.valdisolebikeland.com.
