Elisa looks at her rainbow jersey and bike before going to bed. Her eyes shine, they have a particular light dictated, perhaps, by the fact that at the moment (in the opening, Balsamo in the photo ASO/F. Boukla) she is the strongest cyclist in the world…
«The night before my Paris-Roubaix I was quite calm, I didn't feel particularly stressed or burdened with too many responsibilities.I just wanted to have fun and honor the jersey."
The race begins, but the terrain seems almost different from that of two days before.
«When we did the reconnaissance, the road was dry and it already seemed difficult that way, but all wet and full of mud it seemed almost impossible to meThe cobblestones are different from what I'm used to, for example, at the Tour of Flanders. This one is higher, more slippery, and a bit more challenging. However, it's definitely… the people on the road cheering me on really gave me a boost of morale. It moved me, I felt like an integral part of the story."
At some point it falls Vittoria Guazzini...
«I was scared, very scared. I saw that she had seriously hurt herself and it was not a nice scene.In some areas there were very large puddles of mud and that was where you lost your balance the most."
Elisa looks down for a moment and observes her bike.
«It wasn't the best race for inaugurate the new white jersey and bike (laughs, ed.) But it had its charm to do the first Paris-Roubaix as the first competition in the rainbow jersey. A dream, I never would have imagined it possible!
In the changing rooms of the magical velodrome of Roubaix, Balsamo is covered in mud from head to toe, the iris on her shirt can barely be seen, and yet he smiles…
«It was fun, it was legendary, it was unique. I honestly just hope it doesn't rain anymore in the next few years. (laughs, ed.) Would I do it again next year? I don't know, I don't want to think about it now. one Hell a year is already a lot. Certainly… if it doesn't rain it would be better!
He closes his eyes for a second.
«I see the finish line, the mud, the dirty bike and my hands with blisters. Only at the end did I start to feel the first pain in my hands, once I took off the gloves.During the race the adrenaline was so high that I didn't feel anything."
Our world champion is quite positive, the rainbow jersey doesn't scare her, she knows how to handle it, she doesn't feel too much responsibility on her shoulders and she's quite happy with her season. He just wants to keep doing his best while having fun.Hell is over!
