Italian bookends a remarkable season with victories in the rainbow jersey
World Champion Elisa Balsamo wins her last race of the season in rainbow jersey at Ceratizit Challenge before 2022 World Championships(Image credit: Sprint Cycling Agency)
Elisa Balsamo planned to make the most of her year as world champion and that is precisely what she did during the 2022 season with Trek-Segafredo.
Balsamo bookended a remarkable year in the rainbow jersey with victories at stage 1 of the Setmana Valenciana in February and on the final stage 5 at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta on Sunday.
"I really wanted to win today, the last day of this incredible season in the rainbow jersey. I won the first race, in February, at the Setmana Valenciana, and with today's win it's like I'm closing a circle. Today's is a special day, full of emotions. Madrid was a crazy setting," Balsamo said.
"I am extremely happy. This is my last race with the [rainbow] jersey and there is no better way to end such a wonderful season for me. Today we really were the strongest team, and I have to say a big thanks you to my team."
Balsamo stormed across the finish line on stage 5 of the Ceratizit Challenge winning the bunch sprint ahead of Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) and Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ).
It was her last race with trade team Trek-Segafredo before the 2022 UCI Road World Championships held from September 18-25 in Wollongong, Australia, where the rainbow jersey could change hands.
As she crossed the finish line in Madrid, she grabbed the front of her rainbow jersey and kissed it. It was a gesture indicative of how she felt about her incredible run of success since winning the world title last year and wearing it during her first season racing on a Women's WorldTeam, Trek-Segafredo.
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Balsamo secured the world title at the 2021 UCI Road World Championships on the streets of Leuven. Her Italian teammates displayed a master-class lead-out and delivered her to the victory ahead of Dutch favourite Marianne Vos.
It was a victory that was almost symbolic of not only her own success but of the broader success of women's cycling in Italy.
At just 24 years old, the powerful sprinter has only been racing on the professional cycling circuit for six seasons and she attributed much of her previous growth and success to the Italian-based Continental team Valcar-Travel & Service, where her career began in 2017. It's a development team that has helped in the early careers of many of the nation's top riders.
On this team, Balsamo had won stages at the Tour of California, Challenge by La Vuelta, and in one-day races like the GP Oetingen, Dwars door de Westhoek, Omloop van Borsele and Trofee Maarten Wynants, along with numerous other podiums.
This year alone her Italian compatriots Elisa Longo Borghini won Paris-Roubaix and Women's Tour, while Marta Cavalli won Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and finished second overall at the Giro d'Italia Donne. Other successful performances have come from Marta Bastianelli and Erica Magnaldi (both UAE Team ADQ), Soraya Paladin (Canyon-SRAM), Chiara Consonni and Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (both Valcar), Rachele Barbieri (Liv Racing Xstra) and Gaia Realini (Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria).
Balsamo has been a significant part of her nation's success in the Women's WorldTour with what she called a 'golden week' of wins at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem. She also secured a stage win at the Tour de Suisse, two wins at Giro d'Italia Donne, and won the road race at the Italian National Championships.
Back in February, Cyclingnews asked Balsamo what a successful season would look like in 2022, and she said, "It will be a new experience, and I'm positive about it, and I hope for some wins. I know that it will be difficult, but I am ready to work hard for it."
In hindsight, Balsamo has outdone herself in the first year of her contract on a Women's WorldTeam while under pressure in the rainbow bands. Her final stage 5 victory at Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta marked her ninth victory of the 2022 season, not to mention numerous podium performances.
The Italian Federation has not yet confirmed its selection for the World Championships. However, Italy has several potential contenders in Balsamo, Longo Borghini and Silvia Persico, who also won a stage at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta.
There is 2,433m of elevation gain in the 164.3km women's elite/U23 race across the Mount Keira circuit and the city circuits that include Mount Pleasant. Balsamo has proven that she can both climb and sprint on challenging parcours.
It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to see Balsamo continue her run of success and win a second consecutive title at the World Championships and spend another season in the rainbow jersey.
World Champion Elisa Balsamo wins her last race of the season in rainbow jersey at Ceratizit Challenge before 2022 World Championships (Image credit: Getty Images)
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
