Elisa Balsamo (cyclist)

Elisa Balsamo (cyclist)
Elisa Balsamo (born 27 February 1998) is an Italian road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's World Team , and represents Italy at international competitions.
After competing at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships in the women's junior road race she became junior world champion at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in the junior's road race. She won the gold medal at the 2016 UEC European Track Championships in the team pursuit.
Early life
Balsamo was born in Cuneo in 1998. Her father was an amateur cyclist. Before taking up cycling, she had competed in a number of skiing disciplines, as well as biathlon and swimming.
Career
Balsamo's first major win came at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha, where she won the Road Race in a bunch sprint ahead of Skylar Schneider. She signed for for the 2017 season. Her first professional win came at the Omloop van Borsele in April 2018, followed by a win at the GP Bruno Beghelli later in the year.
In 2019, Balsamo finished first in a bunch sprint at the Dwars door de Westhoek,
as well as stages at the Tour of California and the Giro delle Marche in Rosa. In 2020, Balsamo won the final stage of the Madrid Challenge, overtaking Lorena Wiebes in the final 50 metres.
Balsamo began the 2021 season with a win at the GP Oetingen. She competed for Italy at the 2020 Summer Olympics; whilst she broke the Italian record as part of the team pursuit, she finished in 8th position in the madison and outside the Top 10 in the omnium. After a period of stage racing in Spain and The Netherlands, during which she finished second in the Grand Prix d'Isbergues, she was selected as part of the Italian team for the UCI Road World Championships. After a number of attempts by the Dutch team to break away from the group, Balsamo won the bunch sprint from the remaining group of around 25 riders, ahead of Marianne Vos. Her first win as World Champion came at The Women's Tour, in which she won the final stage.
Major results
Track
2015
1st Scratch, UCI World Junior Championships
1st Team pursuit, UEC European Junior Championships
1st Team pursuit, National Junior Championships
2016
1st Team pursuit, UEC European Championships
UCI World Junior Championships
1st Omnium
1st Team pursuit
UEC European Junior Championships
1st Omnium
1st Team pursuit
1st Scratch, National Junior Championships
1st Individual pursuit, 3 Jours d'Aigle
2nd Team pursuit, UCI World Cup, Glasgow
2017
UEC European Championships
1st Team pursuit
3rd Omnium
UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st Omnium
1st Team pursuit
3rd Madison
UCI World Cup, Pruszków
1st Team pursuit
3rd Individual pursuit
3rd Madison (with Maria Giulia Confalonieri)
6 Giorni di Torino internazionale
1st Omnium
1st Points
Belgian International Meeting
2nd Omnium
3rd Madison (with Rachele Barbieri)
2nd Omnium, Prilba Moravy
2018
UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st Team pursuit
3rd Madison
1st Madison, National Championships
2nd Team pursuit, UEC European Championships
3rd Team pursuit, UCI World Championships
2022
1st Team pursuit, UCI World Championships
Road
2015
3rd Road race, National Junior Championships
5th Trofeo Avis Suvereto
6th Road race, UCI World Junior Championships
6th Giro della Provincia di Pordenone
2016
1st Road race, UCI World Junior Championships
1st Road race, National Junior Championships
2nd Road race, UEC European Junior Championships
2nd Gent–Wevelgem Juniors
3rd Trofeo Mendelspeck
4th Gran Premio Hotel Fiera Bolzano
7th Trofeo Oro in Euro-Women's Bike Race-Mem. E.Coli
8th Memorial Diego e Stefano Trovó
2017
1st Giro Dei Due Comuni
1st Grand Prix Crevoisier
1st Sprints classification, Giro della Toscana
2nd Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
2nd Sparkassen Giro
2nd Memorial F. Basso
7th SwissEver GP Cham-Hagendorn
2018
1st Omloop van Borsele
1st Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
2nd Grand Prix de Dottignies
5th Time trial, UEC European Under-23 Championships
2019
1st Trofee Maarten Wynants
1st Dwars door de Westhoek
2nd Omloop van Borsele
2020
1st Road race, UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st Stage 3 Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta
2021
1st Road race, UCI World Championships
1st Stage 6 The Women's Tour
3rd Scheldeprijs
3rd Brabantse Pijl
4th Gent–Wevelgem
7th Trofeo Alfredo Binda
7th Dwars door de Westhoek
10th Road race, UEC European Championships
2022
1st Road race, National Championships
1st Trofeo Alfredo Binda
1st Classic Brugge–De Panne
1st Gent–Wevelgem
Giro Donne
1st Stages 1 & 4
Challenge by La Vuelta
1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 5
1st Stage 1 Setmana Ciclista Valenciana
1st Stage 3 Tour de Suisse
2nd Road race, UEC European Championships
2nd Ronde van Drenthe
4th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
4th Tre Valli Varesine
8th Amstel Gold Race
2023
Setmana Ciclista Valenciana
1st Stages 1 & 2
2nd Trofeo Alfredo Binda
2nd Classic Brugge–De Panne
4th Ronde van Drenthe
4th Nokere Koerse
Classics results timeline
References
External links
1998 births
Living people
Italian female cyclists
Italian track cyclists
Sportspeople from Cuneo
Cyclists at the 2019 European Games
European Games medalists in cycling
European Games gold medalists for Italy
European Games bronze medalists for Italy
Cyclists of Fiamme Oro
Olympic cyclists for Italy
Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Cyclists from Piedmont
21st-century Italian women
UCI Track Cycling World Champions (women)