Elisa Balsamo diamond of Trek-Segafredo: contract until 2026

At 24 he has already won three World Cups. Two on the road: as a junior in Doha in 2016 and as an elite in Leuven in Belgium in 2021. And one, very heavy, in the 2022 team pursuit quartet on the track. Elisa Balsamo is one of the cornerstones of the Italian women’s movement that is dominating internationally. Last year, she nine successes, including classics such as the Trofeo Binda and Ghent-Wevelgem, two stages in the Giro d’Italia (and 2 days in the pink jersey), the final stage in Madrid of the Vuelta. And today comes the formalization of what we knew: Balsamo and Luca Guercilena’s Trek-Segafredo are extending this golden moment for another two seasons, until the end of 2026.

The Milanese manager explains: “Enthusiasm, charisma, determination, team spirit: Elisa has brought our team much more than simple results. When she signed her first contract with us well before the World Cup won in Belgium, she was a great talent. One year later, we’re talking about one of the strongest female cyclists in the world. And the best is yet to come.” Elisa Balsamo, who will graduate in Modern Literature at the University of Turin during the week between Flanders and Roubaix, adds: “The bond that has been created between me and the team is something unique. The sense of belonging to this group makes me happy. There is still a story to write, I have many goals in mind. Luca and Ina (Teutenberg, the team’s sporting director, ed) challenged me to become a classic collector… A challenge accepted”. Balsamo, who won the quartet’s European silver in Switzerland last week, will make his road debut in Spain in the Vuelta Valenciana on Thursday (four stages through Sunday).