A father like Giuseppe, who was an excellent amateur, winner of the Trento-Bondone in 1989 and the Torino-Valtournenche, but stopped just before turning professional due to physical problems. A sister like Letizia, who is a pillar of theEF Education Tibco SVB. Could Giada Borghesi not follow in her family's footsteps? She tried, she dedicated herself to tennis and athletics, but then the call of the bike was too strong.
Power supply change
His love for two wheels was so strong that he overcame some really difficult moments and is the same cyclist from Trentino recounting her odyssey which found its “landing in Ithaca” only this season.
«In December 2020 – he says – I contracted Covid. The following year I was supposed to make my debut inAromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano, but I was never well and I competed very little. It took me a long time to understand what was wrong with me; people thought it was the after-effects of COVID, but that wasn't the case. In March 2022 I got the answer: I'm celiac.I changed my diet, but it took time to get back to what I was before, and in the meantime another season had passed. In 2023, I did some good national races and meanwhile I was starting to emerge in gravel as well."
Then you landed at the BTC City Ljubljana...
And I finally got to show what I can do. I was able to work hard over the winter and have a good cyclocross season.
What do you have in common with your sister Letizia, and what are the differences between you?
We are opposite in character: she is more shy and introverted, while I am much more exuberant. From a cycling point of view it is more difficult to say, also because we have 4 years of difference and experience, Also considering that, having skipped two years, I can still consider myself a beginner. She's a rouleur who's good on climbs, while I might have a little more to show for it when it comes to climbing, but I still have everything I need to prove. Letizia then she has a predilection for Belgian races, for the classics and in this I would like to imitate her.
The feeling seeing your season is that the success in the Worthersee Gravel Race, the Austrian stage of the World Series, has unblocked you a bit: after that you almost never left the top 10…
It's just that in that race I was finally able to start reaping the fruits of my labor. West in Pink I had a stomach virus like others in my team and I couldn't make it out, but I had already done well at the Binda Trophy. I was with the leaders until about thirty kilometers from the finish line.At the gravel race things started to go well and from there on it was all positive days.
However, switching from gravel to road cycling is not very simple…
It's true, it takes an adjustment period, like with any type of bike. After the victory in Austria, I returned to road racing a week later, in France. I did well, but I felt some setbacks that week. Nowadays, to stand out, you have to pay attention to every detail.
What does gravel mean to you?
An important option. I would have competed in the Orosei test, but there was the Liberation and the team wanted my participationI'll be at the Italian Championships at the end of June, though, and I hope I'll also get a call-up to the Italian national team from gravel, as a sort of compensation for not having been able to get it in cyclocross.
Speaking of Liberation: both there and previously at the Giro Mediterraneo in Rosa you were the only real alternative to the uae.
I felt surrounded, especially on the Roman roads. Being on the same level as a WorldTour team is a great satisfaction. Against girls like that you feel like you can't handle the race.At the Giro del Mediterraneo, after I had taken the jersey in the first stage, I immediately understood that there was no chance of defending it. In fact, Gillespie she left and I couldn't do anything. I still managed to getting on the final podium was a great satisfaction At the end of a wonderful experience. For me, it was the first real stage race I'd competed at the height of my abilities.
It's in Rome?
It was me against them… With five laps to go, they took turns attacking, and I always responded, the only one to do so. I was happy with what I was doing, but I also knew I couldn't continue like this. In fact, when three of them left, I couldn't get hold of it and clearly Venturelli he couldn't help me in the chase. In the end, that 5th place was of great value.
Clearly your team isn't at that level, but how do you feel about it?
Very good, I especially appreciate the fact that it's a team that does high-level activities, with many trials abroad. It's an Italian team, even if it's connected to a Slovenian organization. It's a good group, certainly against a WT team there is too much differenceWe're now in France for the Morbihan races this weekend, which will be another good test against more established teams.
What do you expect from now until the end of the year?
A lot. First of all, I want to continue feeling this way, or even better, so I can get the right win to hopefully earn a call-up to the national team. Ultimately, what I would like is to achieve as many results as possible to deserve a bigger stage…
