Elisa Balsamo: Italian champion signs contract extension with Trek-Segafredo until 2026 – ‘Story yet to be written’

Elisa Balsamo has signed a contract extension with Trek-Segafredo through to 2026.

Contract negotiations started last year, with the 24-year-old saying that her ambitions line up with her team’s goals.

Balsamo had a fine 2022, winning the Italian National Championships, two stages at the Giro D’Italia and three Classics, and will look to deliver more success this season.

“2022 was an unforgettable year, but there is a story that is yet to be written. I have many goals in my head and with the team we share the same ambition,” Balsamo said.

“[Team directors] Luca [Guercilena] and Ina [Teutenberg], jokingly, threw me the challenge of becoming a collector of Classics… needless to say, challenge accepted.

“The bond that has been created between me and this team is great, almost unique. We have such a deep relationship that, a few days ago, while I was racing the European Champs on track, I had goosebumps following Elisa [Longo Borghini] and Gaia [Realini] triumphing at the UAE Tour.

“I wasn’t there, but the sense of belonging to this group made me excited as if I were there pedaling with them. This fact perfectly illustrates how important this team is to me.”

“It would be reductive to think that we proposed the extension only because of her results,” explained Guercilena, Trek-Segafredo’s general manager.

“Elisa brought a lot more to the team. Enthusiasm, charisma, determination, team spirit; always with a proactive approach. These are the qualities that made her an all-round leader in such a short time.

“When we signed the first contract, before her victory at the World Championships in Leuven, she was a well-known promising talent. One year later, we are now talking about one of the strongest riders on the scene. And the best, in our opinion, is yet to come.”

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, director of the Trek-Segafredo women’s team, added: “In 2021 we were excited to have signed her, but after having seen her in action, how she works in training and how she applies herself in the race, her relationship with teammates and within the peloton, her performance has gone far beyond the best expectations.

“She honored the World Champion’s jersey as only a few were able to. She handled the pressure and expectations with impressive results. She is a special rider, one that a team director would always want to work with. I’m really excited when I think about what’s coming.”

Balsamo begins her 2023 season at the Setmana Valenciana between 17-20 February.

This will be followed by appearances at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, then Strade Bianche and Trofeo Binda, the latter race which she won last year.

Balsamo will then be looking towards the Classics, racing in Gent-Wevelgem as reigning champion before taking part in the Tour of Flanders and the Amstel Gold Race.

Balsamo will also feature at the Women’s Tour and Tour de France Femmes.

– – –