FLORENCE – As Elisa Balsamo speaks, her expression seems strained. There's an hour to go until the start of the Italian championship, the champion came to sit on the steps of the bus, to tell her story. Those who've seen her train over the past few days have told us she has superb legs. It seems she quickly abandoned all her fears on the track and gave it her all. But how much must it have cost her to reconnect with this profession that has given her so much satisfaction, but has never joked about pain?
She speaks softly and, listening to her words, the mind ends up a verse by Bob Dylan: How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky? And when will Elisa finally be able to experience a season with a light heart? Where will she have found the strength to get up again this time? Is the soul a rope that can be stretched to any length, or does it finally say enough?
«Actually when I woke up – she murmurs – I said I didn't want to ride my bike anymore and for a few days that was itThen, little by little, my athletic instincts came back. It was something that came exclusively from me, every step of the way. No one ever forced me: the team, no one. And so... if a person feels like doing things, then it's the right time to start doing them againIt wasn't easy, for sure. Let's just say I'm happy to be here now. It's already a great thing for me to leave today, to be here with my teammates. We'll see how it goes. more than anything, how is the feeling of returning to the group. I'm not sure what to expect."
From rollers to the road
Eighteen days have passed since I returned to the saddle after the crash in the Vuelta Burgos, which occurred just days after the trip with the national team to discover the Paris route. In the blink of an eye, she went from the adrenaline of the great challenge to the fear that it was all over.. A film unfortunately already seen, although this time compared to last year, the mouth was not touched and he was always able to feed without problems.
«Having already been there It taught me something – he says with a hint of sarcasm – it's been like this for two years. But that's enough now, I'd like to avoid other similar experiences.Let's say that they were two different things. It wasn't easy last year or this year, but luckily I was able to start pedaling again a little earlierI did a bit on the rollers and then I started going out on the road, obviously with a brace on my left hand. It's not the same, but at least I started training."
Sense of liberation
The photos of Balsamo on the rollers and then on the road made us smile, and we immediately sent her a message to tell her. How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky? Elisa Balsamo has gone up on the reels on June 4th and then went out on the road on the 10th, in a sort of liberation that reminded us of the first bike ride after the lockdown, when we began to imagine freedom again.
«Yes, more or less it was like that – he smiles – That day I also liked the galleries of LivignoI went because I'd already booked. We were also planning on going with the national track team, so the first week I trained on rollers, since I couldn't go out on the road. We went anyway to be safe, and it couldn't have been otherwise, given that we were in Tre Palle. We tried to stay away from everything and all the stress and then we'd see how it went. We laid a good foundation, even though we knew that when I returned I'd find girls who had come from competitions and had run. So undoubtedly my condition isn't the best, but I'm especially interested in understanding my reaction within the group. I have no other goals for today."
Desire for a Tour
PS The Italian championship saw Elisa Balsamo finished sixth behind her teammate Longo BorghiniAll the glances we exchanged after her arrival, while she was catching her breath sitting on the ground, expressed the great respect we had for her recovery. Now the program she would like includes the Giro d'Italia to put together more work and then the double commitment at the Olympics.
"I have been a little nervous in the final when we were going towards the sprint – he says – everything else is pretty good. But I have to do the Giro, I think I'll need it."
The big difference between the Balsamo sitting on the steps of the bus and the one sitting on the asphalt after the race is in the flash of her gaze. Her parents watched her from the barrier, making jokes to chase away their worries., but now Elisa is on the right path to achieving great things. And let's hope that by aiming high, she'll soon be able to see the sky again.
