CITTIGLIO – The sky is cloudy, but the mountain tops are white. The snowfalls of the past few days are still lingering. As is Imogen Wolff's legs resist, and do so well, on the now famous, terrible uphill straight of the Small Binda Trophy (opening photo by Ghilardi).
King Charles's anthem resounds on stage. Imogen sings, then places her right hand over her heart. Meanwhile, the Union Jack rises toward the sky.
English rule
Imogen Wolff of Great Britain won. In reality, Her Majesty's team dominated. The queen of last year's edition, Cat Ferguson, She came in second and her other teammates also performed well, so much so that they won the team classification.
He won with a strong, decisive attack, with 33 kilometers to go. Which, in a race that had 74, means just under half. Wolff had created a void. Her teammates then hounded every attempt, as the rulebook dictates.
"It was a truly fantastic race today," Wolff said. "I'm really happy to have gone it alone. Especially so far from the finish line, almost 35 kilometers. I didn't believe it at first, but then I managed to hold on until the finish line."
This isn't Imogen's first time in Cittiglio. Last time, though, her race didn't go so well. However, the 2023 experience helped her learn the route and understand the race.
«Last year I was almost there when I had some problems in the final (she still finished eleventh, not bad for a first year junior, ed.), so I definitely had memories that pushed me to do better."
Yorkshire Scientist
But who is this young girl with the face full of pretty freckles? Imogen Wolff comes from and lives in Yorkshire, near Barnsley, in the centre of Great Britain.
«The English say it's the best place and I agree! It's definitely a good place to train. Also because my partner, Cat, second today (and first last year, ed.), is from the same area and we train there. There are so many climbs and the roads are really technical. And I think that's one of the reasons why Yorkshire often produces so many good athletes."
«I started riding when I was very young, but obviously not to train. I started doing things seriously when I was 13, so 3-4 years ago. For the rest, I study and train. I'm in my last year of high school. I'm studying math, biology, and chemistry, so I find it quite demanding, but as I said, this year is my last year, so hopefully, there are only a few months left."
Talent to be discovered
From a technical point of view, Imogen Wolff clearly has yet to fully discover herself. And that's normal. We're talking about an athlete born in 2006. Cycling, as is English tradition, encompasses multiple disciplines, especially at the start. And throughout all of this, the track is almost never missing.
Ma Imogen is also very strong in cross country. She also won some races at the beginning of the season and was very consistent with many top 10 finishes.
«I think I'm still a mix between time trialist, sprinter, climber... as if I hadn't found my specialty yet. I can say that I like races like this, the tough races, the longer races. Right now, I think that perhaps the classics, or at least the one-day races, would be ideal for me, and I'm interested in them.
Dreaming of Flanders
Wolff is young, but also wise. An athlete like her, who places well in international races and is a fixture in her national team, certainly has a contract ready for next year. when she becomes an elite, but she wisely keeps quiet: "For now, I want to become a professional. Then we'll see what happens."
We'll see Imogen back in action soon at Ghent-Wevelgem in Belgium. These are the races he loves. "The one I like best? The Tour of Flanders." Last year she finished seventh. Considering how things went in Cittiglio...
