Third in the stage and fourth in the overall standings at the Tour du Gevaudan Occitanie, a Nations Cup event. A result that has a special meaning for Georgia Pelizotti, who is now starting to collect laurels on the road too, is not satisfied with being among the best international athletes in the category in cyclocross and mountain biking. Results that have greater value precisely considering that in her case we are talking about a cyclist who necessarily has less experience than her opponents when she gets on her road bike, she who in off-road is not afraid nor is she inferior to anyone.
A result that changes everything
With this result, the daughter of art She's entering a new dimension, especially considering the renewed attention her results in France have brought her from top-tier teams. So much attention that, in some ways, they've caught her off guard.
«Last year I had only done three races, but I saw that I was doing well anyway and consequently this year a road team, the Breganze CicloClub96 Team Wilier, he asked me if I would like to do some races with them too and I took the opportunity, also considering the relationship between the road coach (the former Italian national team Gabriella Pregnolato, ed.) and my MTB coach who allow me to manage both activities."
You said a while ago that the road wasn't that appealing to you, despite your father's example. Has anything changed in your approach, psychologically speaking?
First of all I would say that the routes have changed compared to when I was a beginner or a student, because the races I face now have much more uphill and therefore they also suit me more.Let's also add the improvement I've made physically, which has helped me manage myself better in the group and suffer less in races. All of this has also pushed me to progress.
The Tour du Gévaudan is one of the most important events on the junior calendar. What kind of race was it for you?
I took it more as a great experience, competing against international competitors and learning a little about competing abroad. I knew I was feeling pretty good, even though I was coming off an injury. On the first day I saw that my leg was good because I was able to move through the group with ease, even though at -3 I fell without hurting myself too much. The next day I knew it was a race that suited me better because there was a very challenging climb and the results were more than good.
How much pressure did the final result put on you, having practically reached the podium tied with third place, in a race where all the strongest riders were present?
It gave me confidence, it made me realize that I can still perform well in this discipline even at high-level competitions. This gives me a lot of motivation for future races.
How is the mountain bike season going?
Well, I was supposed to do a few more races, but with the injury, I had to miss a few. At the World Cup race in Nove Mesto, again among the best in the world, I finished twelfth, perhaps suffering a bit from the high intensity of mountain biking, but still improving on last year's result. In MTB I suffer a bit on very fast routes with short and explosive climbs and I still have to improve in this., but it will definitely help me with the rest of the disciplines as well.
But now you're at a crossroads, because on the road you're facing European and World Championships on very challenging routes, specifically for climbers. Then there are your international mountain bike commitments. How do you handle calls coming in, especially from the road?
For me this year one of the fundamental objectives is to be called up to the road world championshipIf they call, I'll definitely answer. With our preparation, we've seen that managing all the important appointments is manageable, so I'm pretty confident about this.
What does your father say now about the results you achieve on the road? It's clear they have a special meaning for him...
I couldn't even fully share the last result with him, because it was at the Giro d'Italia. And in those days, it's always a bit difficult to get in touch and talk much. But I'm convinced he's happy, especially because he also went through those same experiences one year, so he was also very excited, and I know he's really happy that I'm starting to retrace some of the steps he took.
You have a lot on your plate right now. How much does finances weigh in your decision-making process?
At the moment I don't want to worry about it because luckily my parents don't have any problems and can support me in any decision I make. For now I favor having fun and the thing that is most fun is cyclocross, so I don't look so much at the figures I could receive but at how much I like the thing.
But does this constant jumping from one bike to another cause you technical problems?
No, in fact, every time I pick up my mountain bike and hit the road, I feel much more comfortable and confident with the bike I'm riding. Now I also train on the track, so it's a different bike I'm trying. Consider that in three days I went from the road to the track and to the MTB, I don't feel any great difficulties.
