Four Valcar – Travel & Service athletes will wear the Italian national jersey at the upcoming track world championships in Berlin, taking place from Wednesday 26th February to Sunday 1st March. Elisa Balsamo, Marta Cavalli, Vittoria Guazzini and Miriam Vece have all been selected for the squad.
This edition carries extra weight, as it is the first major international event of the Olympic year. With Tokyo just five months away, the championships will provide a key indicator of form, both for the Italians and their rivals.
Each rider will target different events. Elisa Balsamo is set for the team pursuit, Madison and Omnium. Marta Cavalli will contest the team and individual pursuit. Vittoria Guazzini lines up for the team pursuit and points race, while Miriam Vece is Italy’s sole representative in the sprint disciplines, racing the 500 metres, sprint and team sprint. All four riders already hold Italian records across various events, and Berlin could offer the chance to lower those marks further and write another chapter in the story of Italian women’s track cycling – and of Valcar – Travel & Service itself.
Alongside these international duties, the team continues its road programme under the guidance of Davide Arzeni. After a promising campaign in Spain, where Caribbean rider Teniel Campbell impressed with 5th place on stage three of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, attention now turns to the cobbled classics in Belgium. On Saturday 29th February the squad will take on the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad against the world’s top 24 teams over the demanding Flemish climbs, followed a day later by the Omloop van het Hageland.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad line-up: Teniel Campbell, Chiara Consonni, Silvia Persico, Silvia Pollicini, Ilaria Sanguineti
Omloop van het Hageland line-up: Teniel Campbell, Chiara Consonni, Silvia Magri, Silvia Persico, Federica Piergiovanni, Ilaria Sanguineti
