«Actually, until I was a second-year rookie, I mainly ran on the road, but due to my small build, I wasn't able to express myself at my best. I was struggling and not enjoying it, during that period I even thought about giving up cyclingSo I switched to off-road racing, and things just got better and better. Being lightweight allowed me to excel in both mountain biking and cyclocross. Last week's victory in Gossolengo was a personal revenge».
The person on the other end of the phone answers Georgia Pelizotti, daughter of Franco and she's also a cyclist (in the opening photo Stella and Bft Burzoni). Anyone who follows cyclocross and mountain biking will surely know her, last winter she was European champion in mixed team relay. In the category test, among the juniors, she showed great things. Her season on the mud attracted the interest of the TRINX Factory Team who wanted her on his roster for 2025. With them she started exactly as she finished: winning. Both in mountain biking in the tests at the beginning of the year and now also on the road.
It's the brother's "fault"
Giorgia Pellizotti, according to her father Franco, who knows her better than anyone, had little intention of putting her wheels back on the asphalt. But then the seed of curiosity, which is part of young people and pushes them to try and try again, had crept into her..
«Together with the team – he continues while enjoying a walk before the school holidays – we had thought about including some road races in line with the mountain bike season. My brother, who is a great fan of this discipline, started looking for some competitions. He'd found a few, but it wasn't easy to fit everything in. The opportunity came up last week, so we went."
With the team or alone?
Alone, the team was engaged in another race. My family followed meLuckily, the route was divided into three different circuits, and I passed them several times. That way, they managed to pass me a few water bottles.
Long race, did you expect to do so well?
It was seventy-five kilometers with some challenging climbs. The distance worried me a little because I'm certainly not used to doing so many kilometers.During training I get to fifty, sixty at most.
But you do them off-road, the commitment in terms of hours is similar…
Actually, yes. The race lasted about two and a half hours. I left without expectations though, I won't deny that.. Ultimately, it was supposed to be a transition into mountain biking.
Instead you won…
It was something unexpected. Honestly, after arriving I had very little time to do everything., I was just moved. Going back to running on the road and Winning was a way to chase away the bad thoughts that I had years ago. I won, in every sense.
What aspects of off-roading have helped you the most?
I would say the ability to make high intensity efforts for fairly long periods. From the start of the last climb to the finish line we will have done about forty minutes at a really high pace.. Behind the group he was still going strong. The explosive power of cyclocross also came in handy for me., in the sprint I still had the legs to give it my all. Oh, and there's another aspect.
What?
I was very familiar with riding a bike and was able to handle myself very well in a group.
Will you come back?
I think so, but if you're asking me to choose, I'll stop you right now. For now I'm enjoying the momentMy brother is already looking for some other races, but we'll see.
