PIEVE DI SOLIGO – “You can feel the race,” began the technical commissioner of the Italian national cyclocross and gravel team, Daniele Punctual, as if he felt inside himself that it would be a great World Cup.
At Lake Le Bandie, the day starts very early: the grass is still wet from the night's dew and it's cool, but it doesn't matter. Today is the race of the year, the gravel world championship: It's not just the elite women who are preparing, but also all the competitors in the other categories scheduled for today, both men's and women's masters. Some are stretching, some prefer the rollers, and some prefer total tranquility.
As the athletes line up in front of a natural spectacle, silence falls, interrupted only by the official startSuddenly the park fills with color and shouts of encouragement: the street will elect the strongest, the one who will be the world champion.
Spectators are becoming curious, eager to know what's happening in the race, how our Italian girls are doing, and how much time is left until the final. A wait that seems endless, deceived by the arrivals that continue to follow one another on the finish line: every helmet that can be glimpsed in the distance is a thrill..
Polish victory with Niewiadoma
Al world It's hot in Pieve di Soligo, it feels like a beautiful summer day, and the excitement certainly doesn't help. Italy has six technicians at the finish line, and they don't have long to wait to celebrate. The first to cross the finish line is Poland's Katarzyna Unknown, but just 37" further back there is our Silvia Perch and the Dutch Demi Vollering.
The Italian athlete wins the sprint for silver and the square explodes in applause and shouts of joy.After crossing the finish line, Silvia embraces coach Daniele Pontoni, who, with teary eyes, says nothing: Silvia's feat speaks for itself.
As she herself told us, the 2023 season was a very long one, starting with the cross in January and ending today with world silver in gravel, a new specialty for her that she will explore further in the coming months, not before celebrating, of course. As she heads towards the press room, she makes the sign of the cross with her hand and lets us know how tired she is: «I think it was one of the hardest races of my lifeThe last 10 kilometers were terrible, they seemed never-ending!
Persico: "An experience worth repeating."
That this is no easy race is clear from the route: when the group tackled the iconic Ca' del Poggio wall, there were still 62 kilometers to go, practically halfway through the race, and the toughest part is precisely the finale, on the UNESCO World Heritage Hills, with four challenging climbs (San Viglio, Le Serre, Le Tende, Collagù).
Silvia arrives tired and hot, she is requested by friends, relatives and journalists and surrounded by photographers, but she never loses her smileShe tells us that she enjoyed her debut in the world of gravel, had fun (and it shows!) and achieved her goal.
«Winning would have been a dream – he admits – but a podium was in my plans and I did it. I really enjoyed it, to improve I should create a more discipline-focused calendarI'm not sure what my plans are for next season yet, but I know I'll definitely be focusing on gravel. Now I think I deserve a break, and I'll think about the rest later.
Azzurri, let the cheering push you on…
Before saying goodbye, we chatted a bit, also in view of the men's race: «They have to believe it until the end "—adds Silvia—without being intimidated by the truly tough course. Running on home roads with such special support gives you so much energy, you have to be strong like that."
The podium is a riot of colors and emotions and in the front row, as the biggest fan, there is the CT Daniele Pontoni who smiles at Silvia with a look that is nothing short of proud: "The strongest rider won, there's nothing else to say. On the final climbs, Niewiadoma began to pull away, creating a gap behind her that earned her the victory. Silvia Persico, meanwhile, supported by Demi Vollering, continued the race at a steady pace, preferring to compete in the sprint."
Upon arrival, the speaker spoke of Silvia slowing down, as if she was getting up again, a version denied by Silvia herself: «To say that I risked detaching myself is not correct, I left her at most five meters, but I was always there». And we, in front of all this beauty and that silver medal which has great value, cannot help but be sincerely moved.
