A taste of internationality GB Junior Team Women's cycling he had it a few weeks ago when Giulia Giuliani ran in Argentina with the national team shirt. From 2023, however, the black-orange team will be able to sit at the table of the big boys almost always thanks to the acquisition of the UCI license and the "continental" title.
An important step up in category for the Piedmontese team (affiliate) which will have a very specific mission. And so We spoke to team manager Massimo Ruffilli to find out more about what's in store for next year's activities and plans..
Massimo, let's do a brief introduction of the team.
We are the women's section of Bortolami's GB Junior Team Pool Cantù. We were born in 2021 as an under and elite team maintaining a national calendarThis year we were eight elite and three juniors and often went to the open races with a full complement. In these two seasons we managed to win three or four races and achieve placings that reflect our philosophy.
So a nice group…
We have always had very young and interesting girlsGiulia (Giuliani, ed.) is undoubtedly the most important, but some of them come from other disciplines. Sylvie Truc who was an Italian at the European Youth MTB Championships as well as being Italian MTB champion as a rookie and student. Or as Vittoria Ruffilli who did triathlon until a few years ago. We have always chosen the athlete or the person, not his results..
Can you tell us how the project to become a continental was born?
The decision was to reward the growth of our girls. With Gianluca (Bortolami, ed) We've been friends since we were kids and I suggested we take the next step. He supported my idea as long as we continued to take care of it, given that it would require more energy. I told him that would be the case. After all, we are an atypical team. Aside from the invaluable support of our sponsors, we are essentially four parents investing in young girls, whom we choose based on our own criteria. We are interested in riders who want to gain their first experiences. We want to create riders. By becoming continental we want to give our girls a preview of visibility on certain stages, hoping that they will be able to tread them more and more in the future..
How was this year?
Let's put it lightly. In May, Giuliani was unlucky at the Giro di Campania, crashing 500 meters from the finish line in the decisive stage. She ultimately finished third overall, but in my opinion, she could have easily won the race. Since June we have had the inclusion of Cipriani who immediately won in Comeana and continued by taking many placings in frontIn the end, the balance is still positive because we have had satisfaction from many of our girls. Borello has been called up to the national gravel team and Giuliani has been called up by the coach Sangalli.
Was this last one with Giuliani the icing on the cake for you?
I think that wearing the blue jersey is always a luxuryFor the girl but also for her company. Especially for us who are small and without a license. UCIPaolo and I had been in contact since the beginning of the year, I knew he was keeping an eye on her. Giulia is a very good athlete with many other valuable qualities. She knows how to behave well in various environments, characteristics we take great note of., as I believe the national team staff does too. Her call-up to the Vuelta a Formosa, in my opinion, wasn't an end in itself. I'd say Giulia is now part of the Italian team.
So will she be the beacon of your team next year?
Yes, but without putting pressure on her. Giulia has been in demand for two years by more prestigious teams than ours but she has decided to stay with us precisely to continue her growth process.Of course, she knows she'll have to keep working and improving and that she won't have too many privileges. She's still twenty years old and still has a lot of time to grow. Once she's developed the right skin, we'll be the ones to offer her to other teams. But I also count a lot on her teammatesThey will all start on equal terms because I am convinced that they can all perform well.
How will the 2023 team be structured?
Aside from Giulia, we have confirmed Truc, Rossetti, Garavaglia, Ruffilli and Sernissi will arrive from Vaiano who, although young, already has a fair amount of international experience. Our junior Rebecca Rigamonti passes the elite. And always from the juniors we took Chiara Sacchi from Vo2 Team Pink and Giulia Miotto from Breganze Millenium.
And the sports directors?
Enrico Giuliani and Sabrina Morelli will be in charge, while Elena Valli is part of the company and will lend a hand when needed. We've introduced a nutritionist. The girls themselves asked for it after seeing their competitors following certain dietary guidelines. Each girl will rely on her trusted nutritionist, as well as the athletic trainerNaturally, both will interact with each other and with us to set the goals for each individual athlete. Finally We have reached an agreement with De Rosa and we will race with their bikes.
What schedule will you make?
We tiptoe into an environment that is not oursWe'll maintain our commitment to the open races, aiming to go there with a constant mental and physical focus on improving. We'll do our overseas trips in bits and pieces, and we'll evaluate them as the season progresses. In the meantime we have applied to participate in the Vuelta Valenciana in February.
And will the GB Junior Team do the Women's cycling's Giro?
Usually all the Italian continental teams start without major problems, but I've already spoken to the relevant people to ensure they take us into consideration. We want to run the Giro Donne. Not only that, we want to be seen and known even better..
