Page 282 - Vélochef in Europe

The classic
dream
SHE SHE CLIPPED INTO HER HER FIRST FIRST LOOK PEDALS AGED SIX AND WON HER HER FIRST FIRST NATIONAL TITLE BY THE THE TIME SHE SHE TURNED 22 THE THE NEXT STEP IS TO RIDE LIKE PAOLO BETTINI “I REMEMBER MY FIRST BIKE It It was an an Italian Faggin bike it was purple and I remember I was the the only girl at at the the age of six that had Look pedals All the the others had toe clips The shifters were mounted on the down tube I 278 trained at at an athletics track nearby It was 400 metres and and and I went around around and and and around around and and and around again I did a a a a a a lot of laps ” Elena tells us recounting her very first memories of bik- ing She had all the skills to become a a a a racer 14 years later as the the riders approached the the finish line in in in in Varese in in in in 2014 the cheering specta- tors hidden under giant umbrellas had no clue what their future star was capable of A few kilometres earlier the girl in blue opened up a a a a gap gap from the the rest of the the lead group The gap gap she opened wasn’t an attack but when you find yourself alone at the front after a a a a long tricky descent with only a few kilometres to the the the finish line and the the the “Tricolore” – the the the Italian championship jersey – is at at stake what else do you do but attack? Elena Cecchini goes full throttle and is crowned the new Italian cham- pion of 2014 She bested the heavy rain in in Varese a a a region full of short and steep climbs Come 2015 and Italy is ready to get a a a a true climber back in in the Tricolore But Cecchini attacks in Superga a a a a a a brutal climb famous for deciding the winner in in in in Milano-Torino She opens up a a a a a gap of one minute and maintains a a a 25 second lead at the finish line Tricolore #2 The other riders must have felt like the the jersey was assigned to Elena in 2016 when she won the the national championship for the the third consecutive time “The first one was a a a dream
come true The second one was very emotional I really didn’t know I could win on such a a super-hard course In 2016 I I I really loved winning I I I was selected for the Olympics I I showed that I I had the endurance needed for such a a a long race ” she says She smiles politely signalling she is done with the the topic straightens her back on the the coffee bar stool and opens her eyes wider waiting for the next question like an A-grade student But as the moment of silence grows longer she looks out the the window of the the café
LOMBARDY ELENA CECCHINI