The Italian junior girls' first outing abroad, and they immediately achieved a significant result. Virginia finished fourth. Iaccarino signed a few days ago at Ghent-Wevelgem It has a special flavour because it is the testimony that, after the sensational results obtained up to the end of 2022 by the generation of Ciabocco, Venturelli, Pellegrini the women's movement is alive and already has valid replacements on which Sangalli is working.
Let's enter the world of Iaccarino, a Treviso native who is about to turn 17 (she will do so on May 25th), who arrived this year at the court of Giovanni Fidanza at Isolmant Team. Until last season he was at theUc Conscio Pedal of the Sile and for the record it must be said that his farewell was not painless in the Veneto team: The company's directors struggled to conceal their discontent over his departure., also speaking of a lack of compensation in favor of the company (which the current regulation does not provide for anyway).
Virginia, for her part, has nothing to reproach herself for, her words explain her choice naturally and logically: «Until last year I played in the team, in the two years as a student the coach was Roberto Botter who looked after me as if I were a daughter, with extreme attention and teaching me a lot. I also arrived "on the run", halfway through the season of the first year and I had a great time., I also want to mention Romina Cat, also fundamental in the technical role. The fact that they would no longer be able to follow me weighed on me., furthermore the offer from the Lombard team with enormous prestige arrived, I couldn't say no".
Were you satisfied with the choice, even though it was recent?
Absolutely yes, it was the right one. Even though I'm in my first year as a junior, I have the opportunity to train and compete with elite girls, older and more experienced and this gives me the opportunity to grow. They are very close to me, both in training and in competition and I realize that thanks to them I'm improving too, not only on the bike, but also as a person.
What did you take away from the trip to Ghent with the national team?
It was a wonderful experience regardless of the result, I really learned a lot because they were different racing conditions than I've always faced. It was essential to work with Sangalli in the previous days. He explained to me how to deal with the wind from different directions, how to handle fans, you can see that he has enormous expertise.
What role did you have on the team?
I wasn't the striker, I was supposed to try to get into the initial breakaway, but as soon as I tried they closed right away. At that point I should havework for the sprint of Siri or Piffer who was the main striker, but in the end I realized that I had lost the wheel on a cobbled bend. At that point I thought about moving forward and playing my cards to bring home something anyway.
Are you a sprinter?
Let's say I defend myself, but bunch sprints aren't for me. I'm the classic fast rouleur, who struggles a lot on climbs. I don't deny that in many races it's hard for me to stand out...
How did you find yourself in this world?
It's my brother's "fault", he raced as a kid, he was a G6. I went to see it with my parents and I wanted to try it too., then they signed me up for some promotional mountain bike trials. Then I joined my town's team, but after a while I said I wanted to try the road bike And since then, when I was a first-year rookie, I haven't stopped. Unlike my brother...
Having trouble balancing cycling with school?
Eh, it's not easy. Especially now that the team is no longer in my area but in Lombardy, I have to spend many hours on the train to train and I use them to study. I have to say that they help me a lot at school, I can take advantage of student-athlete benefits, but it's also true that I've accumulated a lot of absences. I study at the Scientific-Chemical Institute in Agordo (BL), not exactly around the corner.
You were talking about mountain biking before: are you also into multi-discipline riding?
No, I'm focusing on the road. I did cyclocross for a season, but committing myself to travelling even in winter was too much for my studies.I liked triathlon, but it requires too much preparation to cover three specialties; cycling is more than enough.
What did they say at home about your result in Ghent?
They were so happy, it was unexpected for them too. Before the race, everyone was cheering me on and telling me to stay calm, not to put pressure on myself, and just focus on what I had to do. Fidanza explained to me that it's precisely when you don't take too much responsibility that the results come, and that's exactly what happened.
What impression did the girls who came in front make on you?
I had also seen them at the Binda Trophy. Ferguson You can see that she has something more than the others, she's a pure talent, but if I have to say, we can compete against all the others. They're strong, but they're not phenomena…
