Italian, Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) stands on the top step of the podium, she now has track and world rainbow stripes. (Image credit: CJ Farquharson)
New world champion Giorgia Bronzini confirmed that she will be racing with the newly formed UCI registered Colavita/Forno D'Asolo for the 2011. The Italian hopes to bring her world-class sprint to some of the biggest women's races across the North America and Europe next season.
"I had various contact with different teams this season but right away the idea of this new project of [Franco] Chirio is the one that convinced me the most," said Bronzini in a Cicloweb.it interview.
Bronzini raced for the former USC Chirio Forno D'Asolo in 2005, under Franco Chirio, where she first turned professional on the road after an extensive track racing career.
The move to the newly merged Colavita-Baci/USC Chirio-Forno D'Asolo team will being the women's world champion to North America as the team will have a mixed European/US schedule.
"For a team that is built on Italian heritage, with many Italian sponsors in addition to the two title brands it doesn't get any bigger than having an Italian world champion on the team," Co-directeur sportif Rachel Heal told Cyclingnews. "The added media exposure that comes with the world champion with help raise awareness of Colavita and Forno d'Asolo in both Europe and the USA."
"Already the team was excited about the merger and the opportunities it provided for the European athletes to experience the American style of racing, but being able to bring the world champion to some of the USA's major events is great for the team and for US racing," she added.
The team's racing calendar is not confirmed to date, co-directeur sportifs Heal and Franco Chirio will be meeting soon to pin down a world-wide schedule.
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"Both directors realize the challenge to maintain 'win capable' squads on both sides of the ocean," John Profaci, the Colavita USA, LLC Vice President of Marketing, told Cyclingnews. "That's what the principals from Colavita and Forno D'Asolo are expecting with the team merger."
The addition of a world champion will bring invitations to compete in the most prestigious races in the world. According to Heal, the team will likely open the season at the Ladies Tour of Qatar where Bronzini won two stages in 2009.
"Franco and I will talk through it when I visit him in Italy in the next few weeks, but we will be doing a full race schedule in both the USA and Europe, and hopefully races like Qatar which Giorgia has enjoyed great success at," Heal said.
Bronzini's palmares includes a junior world track title in the points race followed by multiple elite world-cup points race victories. She is one of the fiercest sprinters on the road having captured victories in stages of the Giro d'Italia Femminile, Giro della Toscana International Femminile, Ladies Tour of Qatar, La Route de France Feminine and Trophee d'Or Feminin.
"On behalf of Colavita, we are very excited to announce that Italian cyclist and World Champion Giorgia Bronzini has agreed to ride with us in 2011," Profaci said in a press release. "This is the type of news which boosts any program's credibility and fuels its continuance by pleasing valuable sponsors and fans."
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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.
