Carlotta Cipressi signs with Human Powered Health until end of 2026

Carlotta-Cipressi

Carlotta Cipressi has taken a significant step in her cycling career by signing with the Womenโ€™s WorldTour team, Human Powered Health, until 2026. The 21-year-old Italian puncheur, known for her climbing abilities, is looking forward to the next phase of her development with the team.

โ€œI canโ€™t wait to get started,โ€ Cipressi shared, reflecting on her excitement about joining the team. โ€œWhen I first spoke to the team, they explained everything perfectly, and I was immediately super excited. The team builds year by year, and this is so important for my personal growth and growing together as a team.โ€

Carlotta Cipressi, who hails from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, began her cycling journey at the age of six after deciding that tennis wasnโ€™t challenging enough. Her inspiration came from watching the Giro dโ€™Italia and the Tour de France on TV, where she became enamoured with the polka dot jersey. “I was a super fan of the polka dot jersey. There was a team in Forli with the same jersey design, and I wanted to start immediately. I havenโ€™t looked back,โ€ she recalled.

Having spent the 2024 season with the UAE Team ADQ squad, Cipressi gained valuable experience at the Thรผringen Ladies Tour and the Tour de lโ€™Avenir Femmes. The latter, often dubbed the under-23 version of the Tour de France, saw Cipressi compete in demanding stages, including an uphill prologue and a finale atop the gravel-strewn Colle delle Finestre.

โ€œTour de lโ€™Avenir was a real education,โ€ she said, reflecting on the challenge. โ€œEven with the gravel on Colle delle Finestre, this race tested every skill. Racing on these courses with a high level in the underโ€“23โ€™s is important and showed me the skills I can develop over the next few years.โ€

Cipressiโ€™s development over the next season will focus not only on her stage racing but also on improving her time-trialling abilities. โ€œI like stage racing and the team immediately understood what kind of athlete I am,โ€ Cipressi said. โ€œI also want to develop my time trial, as this is so important for stage racing. I want to become a well-rounded athlete.โ€

Team manager Kenny Latomme echoed Cipressiโ€™s ambitions. โ€œEvery year we like to try out young talent and see how they develop,โ€ he commented. โ€œThe development can go fast. Carlottaโ€™s skills show that she has what it takes. The Spanish climbing block will be important for her, and she has also shown that she is strong in time trials.โ€