FLORENCE – While Elisa Balsamo speaks, her expression seems strained to us. You’re an hour away from the start of the Italian championship, the champion came to sit on the steps of the bus to tell her story. Those who have seen her train in the last few days have told us about her superb legs, it seems that even on the track she soon gave up all fears and gave it her all. But how much must it have cost you to reconnect with this profession that gave you so much satisfaction, but even in pain you never joked?
She speaks softly and, in listening to her words, the mind ends up with a verse by Bob Dylan: How many times will a man have to look up before he can see the sky? And when will Elisa be able to live a season with a finally light soul? Where did she find the strength to get up again this time? Is the soul a string that can be stretched excessively or at a certain point does it say enough?
«Actually when I woke up – she murmurs – I said I didn’t want to ride a bike anymore and for a few days it was like that. Then, little by little, my athlete instincts came back. It was something that came exclusively from me, every step of the way. Nobody ever forced me: the team, nobody. And so if a person feels like doing things, then it’s the right time to start doing them again. It wasn’t easy, for sure. Let’s say that now I’m happy to be here, for me it’s already a great thing to leave today, to be here with my teammates. We’ll see how it goes, more like the feeling of returning to the group. I’m not sure what to expect.”
From rollers to the road
Eighteen days have passed since I returned to the saddle after the crash in the Vuelta Burgos, which occurred a few days after the trip with the national team to discover the Paris route. In the blink of an eye, she went from the adrenaline of the great challenge to the fear that it was all over. Unfortunately, a film that has already been seen, although this time compared to last year, the mouth was not touched and it was always able to eat without problems.
«Having already been through it taught me something – she says with a hint of sarcasm – it’s been like this for two years. But enough is enough, I would like to avoid other similar experiences. Let’s say that they were two different things anyway. It wasn’t easy last year or this year either, but fortunately I was able to start pedaling a little earlier. I did a bit on the rollers and then I started going out on the road, obviously with a brace on my left hand. It’s not the same, but at least I started training.”
Sense of liberation
The photos of Balsamo on the rollers and then on the road made us smile and we immediately sent her a message to tell her. How many times will a man have to look up before he can see the sky? Elisa Balsamo got on the rollers on June 4th and then went out on the road on the 10thin a sort of liberation that reminded us of the first bike ride after the lockdown, when we started imagining freedom again.
«Yes, more or less it was like this – he smiles – that day I also liked the galleries of Livigno. I was on because I had already booked. We were also planning to go with the national track team, so the first week I trained on rollers, since I couldn’t go out on the road. We went anyway to be safe and it couldn’t be otherwise, given that we were in Tre Palle. We tried to stay away from everything and all the stress and then we would see how it went. We laid a good foundation, even knowing that when I returned I would find girls who came from races and who had run. So undoubtedly my condition is not the best, but I’m especially interested in understanding my reaction within the group. I have no other goals for today.”
Desire for a tour
PS The Italian championship has seen Elisa Balsamo sixth behind her partner Longo Borghini. All the looks we met after her arrival, while she caught her breath sitting on the floor, meant the great respect for her recovery. Now the program you would like includes the Giro d’Italia to put together more work and then the double commitment at the Olympics.
“I have been a little nervous at the end when going towards the sprint – he says – otherwise everything was quite good. But I have to do the Giro, I think I’ll need it.”
The big difference between that Balsamo sitting on the steps of the bus and the one sitting on the asphalt after the race is in the flashing of her gaze. Her parents watched her from the barrier, making jokes to dispel her worry, but now Elisa is on the right path to do great things. And we hope that by aiming high, you will soon be able to see the sky again.
