While almost all of her colleagues are now in the "off-season", for Carlotta Cipressi the calendar still has a few days of competition reserved. And maybe it's better this way from her point of view. The 19-year-old from Valcar Travel&Service in fact he is one of the four U23s called up by the manager Paul Sangalli for the blue expedition to Argentina Vuelta a Formosa scheduled from October 21st to 23rd.
After the South American trip, her first elite season will end, and only then will it be time to take stock, but we wanted to make a provisional assessment of the young player from Forlì in light of her call-up to the national team. And so, speaking with Cipressi about her 2022 campaign, we discovered that il Ganna Hour record she looked at it not necessarily with the eyes of a cyclist who loves time trials but rather of a… mechanic.
Carlotta, why did Pippo's feat strike you?
First of all, because he was able to hold his own against so many people who weren't expecting such a performance. When Ganna has to prove who he is, for me he's invincible. But I was mainly attracted by the technology developed around the bike, printed in 3DBefore the record, I had seen many videos and followed many studies on this novelty. I would have loved to be on the staff that worked on this project, it would have been a dream.
Where does this passion come from?
From my schooling, which in turn was influenced by what I did as a child with my grandfather and father. With them, avid cyclists, I enjoyed doing some mechanical jobs. Little by little I learned to work on the lathe, to weld and above all to take care of my bike myself.In fact, now, except for a few emergencies for which I don't have the necessary supplies at home, I fix and maintain my bike myself. I'm quite meticulous about detail. Let's say that if they gave it to me disassembled, I wouldn't have any problems putting it back together myself.
Could this be your future after cycling?
Yes, absolutely. I'm fascinated by design and would like it to become my job when I retire from racing. Maybe staying in cycling. This year I graduated fromMarconi Technical Institute with a focus on mechanics (graduating with a 97/100, ed.). I'll go to university, but I'll start in September of next year. This year I had already passed the mechanical engineering entrance tests, But when I asked to enter the University of Forlì, where attendance is not compulsory, it was too late. Too bad, but I will keep myself updated and ready for next yearIn the meantime, I'll make the most of the opportunity to be a cyclist.
So, let's get back to the present. What kind of season have you been in, considering your graduation?
Split in two, as I expected. I didn't run much until the exam, everything was agreed with ArzeniWe had planned a calendar with a certain type of races even if we then added some extra races. Two above all: Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège: it was an honor to participate.Very tough races, for the first one it took me three days to recover. However Boss really gave me a great gift by taking me up.
How did it go afterwards?
Clearly betterI've been treating back problems that I've been carrying around since a bad fall when I was a beginner and which, when I don't ride my bike much, make themselves felt.. July, since there was the Giro and the Tour, I spent it all at home in train properly without the hassles of schoolIn those days I found a good rhythm. Then I had an intense period of racing between the Giro di Toscana and the Simac Tour in Holland.
What differences did you find between these two phases?
Greater peace of mind and awareness in the last races I've done. I made my debut at the beginning of March in Le Samyn. I remember that Yaya (Sanguineti, ed.) asked me if I was anxious, seeing that I was a bit tense. I had a difficult race ahead of me, with cold and cobblestones, not the best way to start.. But Arzeni had told me that the beginning would be difficult and that Any disappointments, or beatings as he calls them, would still have helped me grow and gain experience. He was right because now I'm more at peace. And I can manage my emotions better too.
You'll be staying at Valcar in 2023. Have you already set yourself any goals?
It's really nice here and it's a really big family.. An ideal environment for young people like me and other girls to grow up in. Everyone helped me.Yaya was always one of those who taught me the most and shouted into the radio. Good shouts, of encouragement. She's perfect for that role. What she did last year with Gasparini She did it with me, and Eleonora herself helped me with advice. I'm happy with how this season went. I don't have any particular goals for next year but I would like to approach the races with a different approach.And from there I hope to be able to get some results and good tests.
You've already achieved a small milestone by being called up for the trip to Argentina. It'll be a match that could be decided by a time trial. How do you get there?
Paolo's call (the coach Sangalli, ed.) was unexpected. It's a great pride to wear the blue jersey again, now as an elite team after my time as a junior (in 2020 she was third in the European time trial, ed.). My condition isn't bad, we'll see how it goes.But I can tell you that I'm very excited.. Since I only started running regularly after high school, I want to spend everything I have left.
