As one of the world’s best bike riders and a former world champion, Elisa Balsamo takes seriously her job as a role model to a generation of girls who have watched her succeed. And if recent remarks she has fielded are anything to go by, that role of encouraging girls to believe in themselves remains as important as ever.
She was recently asked why a woman would want to race bikes – a sign, she says that there is still a lot of room for growth in women’s sport.
“I reached this level at a time when the movement was already growing,” she said in an interview with Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. “And this is thanks to those who, in previous years, paved the way for the new generations. Now it’s crucial to continue that journey…”
“A change in mentality is also needed,” she added. “I was recently asked, ‘Why does a woman race a bike?’– a sign that there’s still a long way to go, but I truly believe in this growth, even from a cultural perspective.”