The word to Elisa Balsamo
My relationship withe the bike and cycling sport began when I was seven years old, at one of those races where the kids are so small that they don’t get to the brakes of their little bikes.
I was one of those children, small for the age and a little round. During the first race of my life I got to the finish line among the last, with my knees peeled and the helmet crooked: that kilometer of race had seemed eternal to me! So for that year I decided it would be better to dedicate myself to other sports and I retired my little bike.
When did you then decide to jump back on the saddle?
I never really quit but I dedicated myself completely to cycling at about 13 years old. Now I am a professional cyclist and I wear the colors of the “Gold Flames” (sports group of the State Police) and the Valcar Travel & Service.
What’s your palmares, despite your young age?
Among my best results are four wins at the junior World Championships; two bronze medals at the élite’s World Championships: one in the team pursuit in 2018 and one in Madison in 2020. I achieved also some medals at both junior and elite European championships, and a stunning victory on a road World Tour race in 2019.
Cycling will surely take away a lot of your time, do you have other interests besides it?
In addition to cycling another great passion of mine has always been the study, so after graduating from high school I decided to continue my studies and I enrolled in the faculty of modern and contemporary letters at the University of Turin. It is not simple to manage the two activities, but taking a little extra time and with a lot of determination I am carrying on both!
When I was younger, I had another great passion: I used to play the piano at the conservatory. Unfortunately, while I was growing, cycling became more and more challenging and I had to leave the music which, however, I would very much like to resume in the future!
Thank you Elisa for joining the Matrix Fitness team!
Thank you for choosing to support me in my journey and for giving me the opportunity to write on this blog where I can share with you my life in this 2020!
Italian version: https://bit.ly/2zoVOp6
