We are happy to welcome Soraya Paladin to the team for the 2022 season. The Italian rider will add strength to the teamโs roster in the one-day classics and hilly stage races.
โIโm super excited to join the team. It will be the right step for my growth and Iโm ready for this experience. I know I will find a solid and ambitious group of riders surrounded by professional staff, with values and commitment on and off the bike,โ describes Soraya.
Itโs the teamโs first announcement of a new signing for 2022. CANYON//SRAM Racing Team Manager, Ronny Lauke, says, โWe believe Soraya hasnโt unleashed her full potential yet. We want to help her to do so. In recent years she has established herself amongst the best riders in selective one-day classic races. She has the qualities to be within the final selection of any type of classics race and has some speed towards the finish line. We believe Soraya is a great addition to be alongside Kasia (Niewiadoma) who often was our last rider to contest the final in many races.โ
Soraya said she targets a Womenโs World Tour victory with the team next season.
โMy first goal of 2022 will be to gain the trust of my teammates. Then, I would like to win one World Tour race. Iโm the kind of rider that really likes to sacrifice herself for the team. Classic races suit me and when Iโm in shape I can survive quite long climbs. Like most of the peloton, if I could choose just one race to win then it would be Flanders. Iโm looking forward to enjoying next year as much as possible and of course to winโpersonal victories or team victories doesnโt matter.โ
In her eighth season as a professional, Soraya brings experience and motivation to the team and is set on making the most of her career.
โCycling teaches a lot of the values of life. Every day, I do a lot of sacrifices and efforts to be a pro cyclist. But itโs always worth it. Even when itโs not always going as planned, if you never give up, you become stronger, both as a rider and as a person. As a pro rider, I have the opportunity to wake up every morning and be able to follow my dream. It motivates me to always push myself past my limits. Iโm looking forward to doing this with CANYON//SRAM in 2022,โ says Soraya.
Other new signings for CANYON//SRAM Racing will be announced in the coming weeks.