There are riders whose names rarely appear in the race reports, athletes who put in the hard, unseen work that keeps a team moving forward. One of them is Silvia Pollicini, 21 years old and, as she laughingly points out, “varesotta and not varesina.” From Cunardo, she is now in her fourth season as a professional and describes herself, again with a smile, as a domestique. Yet her role goes far deeper than that label suggests.
During lockdown Pollicini completed a degree in Business Economics, writing her thesis on professionalism in sport and using her own team, Valcar-Travel & Service, as a case study. It gave her a broad perspective on where the sport is heading. “I’m convinced we are at the peak of a curve that is pushing women’s cycling to incredible levels. Thanks to the link with so many men’s WorldTour races, the sport has grown in popularity and visibility like never before. But the new rules could cut some teams out of the picture, in Italy and abroad. Hopefully that won’t happen.”
The long break from racing gave her a chance to reset. “Doing five weeks of turbo training without goals was tough, but I used the time to recover from last year’s injury and to build muscle. At our training camp in Livigno I had good sensations. At the end of July I’ll be back racing in Spain and I hope the work of the last three months will show. I want to be the same ‘Polly’ as always, up front working hard for my teammates.”
Pollicini is clear about her identity as a rider. “I’m a domestique, I give 110% for the team. I enjoy laying the groundwork for my teammates’ results. That makes me happy. I like being a team rider, keeping the group united and helping our jersey shine on roads all over the world.”
Her creativity has been useful off the bike as well. It was her idea to film a promotional video for IGTV during lockdown, which proved popular with fans and sponsors alike. She also has plans to return to study, aiming to enrol in Communication Studies while still racing. “I don’t want to waste time and wait until I retire at 28 or 30. Better to do it now.” She has already started writing for a local newspaper in Varese, seeing herself as an example of a “normal girl” from the province who made it to the WorldTour.
When she was younger she looked up to Valentina Carretta, a rider from her area who may not have been the most famous but represented something tangible. In much the same way, Pollicini is now showing the next generation that with hard work and a sense of belonging, it’s possible to carve out a place in the sport at the highest level.
