A second year as a junior that earned him three victories, including the semi-stage of the 2024 Giro della Lunigiana with the finish on the Bolano wall. Results that also earned him a call-up from coach Dino Salvoldi, at the World Championships in Zurich, later won by Lorenzo Finn. We are talking about Christian Remelli, a Venetian boy in his first year in the under 23 category. A leap made together with the team General Store-Essegibi-Fratelli CuriaAt the first race of the national calendar, the Coppa San Geo, he finished second behind the more experienced Matteo Ambrosini.
In her sister's footsteps
Cristian Remelli hasn't missed anything in this first part of 2025, in which he made his professional debut at Coppi e Bartali. Today, the second experience in important cycling arrives on the roads of the Giro d'Abruzzo. The Venetian born in 2006 has taken small but decisive steps, but in the last six months it has gained the right momentum which led him to show his qualities.
"Winning the Giro della Lunigiana," he tells us, "gave me so much confidence in my abilities. I realized I can compete at that level too. My journey began when I was little, in the youth category.There are no cyclists in my family. My sister Eleonora was the first to pedal, and I followed her a few years later. I've never been a winner, I think I won something when I was very young and that's it.Then last season I got going, but in the previous years I saw improvements and I still see them."
Unlocked performance-wise or mentally?
It has always been a growth that has gone hand in hand. The placings always came, I was there to play itI was missing that step to achieve victory, and it finally came. I have a great passion for cycling; I like watching all the races when I'm at home. This helped me persevere, and even though the results were slow in coming, I was happy because I could see improvements. Then as a junior, thanks to the power meter, these sensations also became concrete in numbers.
The General Store is already testing you with a nice calendar…
They believe in me a lot, and that gives me a lot of confidence. I'm taking part in the most important races, and the team doesn't put pressure on me. Racing with professionals helps to grow the engineStage races of this caliber (the Giro d'Abruzzo which started today, ed.) are demanding but being able to finish them is a good sign.
What feedback have you had from these first races with the professionals?
At the Laigueglia Trophy, where the level was really very high, I understood that if you don't run in front in crucial moments you are cut offThe peloton isn't waiting for you! At the Settimana Coppi e Bartali, things went better, so much so that on the third stage I stayed in the second group. Now for the Tour of Abruzzo I'm aiming for some escapes but it won't be easy.
Now you're at the Giro d'Abruzzo, a race you did last year in the junior category. How does it feel?
True! I was talking about it yesterday in the flagship. Exactly a year has passed, On April 14, 2024, I was racing the last stage of the Giro d'Abruzzo JunioresA coincidence that made me smile a little, but that's how it is and I'm happy.
Do you feel like your dream of becoming a professional is actually getting closer?
The road is still long and there's a lot of work to do, so we have to do it well and hope for luck. I'm confident that if I keep working as I have, I'll make it.
You said you have a great passion for cycling. What do you like?
Looking at it, I would say I am bewitched by the phenomena we have the pleasure of admiring today. If I think about my cycling I tell you that it's nice to train with friends And spending time with someone I feel comfortable with. Even going on a long, relaxed climb and chatting is enjoyable. I also have a small group of people who come to watch me at races when they can.
Are you managing to coordinate everything with the school?
This year I joined the student-athlete project and when I'm at competitions I have excused absences. For the rest, just keep up with the tests and quizzesThe most challenging year in this regard was 2024, when I was a junior. I had no excused absences, so I couldn't miss too many hours of class. The problem is that in that category you have to travel a lot and train at high levels.Now I can coordinate everything better.
