After the announcement that Silvia Persico is due to sign for UAE Team ADQ, today we learned that Valcar teammate Eleonora Gasparrini will be joining her as well. Gasparrini is still only 20 years old but has got some strong results this season individually and as part of the lead-out for Chiara Consonni.
Joining Valcar in 2021, Gasparrini has stepped up when the team’s star Elisa Balsamo became world champion and left in a big-money move to Trek Segafredo. She has taken a host of top 10 placings, including 3rd place in the Ronde van Drenthe last year, which Team DSM dominated late in the year. Her results this season have seen her take the first UCI win of her young career at the MerXem Classic. She’s also taken 3rd overall at the AG Tour de la Semois and 11th overall at the Simac Ladies Tour with a 2nd place finish on the last stage.
“When you see how women’s cycling has evolved in recent years, the time is right to make the jump to the WorldTour. I chose UAE Team ADQ because it is the right team for my development. It gives me time to grow under the best conditions. I still have a lot to learn and I will undoubtedly learn a lot.”
Eleonora Gasparrini
“We believe very much in Eleonora, she is a promising young rider. After a somewhat problematic start to the season, she has shown in recent months that she is very good. She is still very young and still has a lot to learn, but I am super happy that she will be part of our team. She is someone for the future.”
Rubens Bertogliati, UAE Team ADQ team manager
Alongside the aforementioned transfer of Silvia Persico, UAE Team ADQ also confirmed the transfer of Mikayla Harvey this week. The young Kiwi joins from Canyon SRAM.
