Italian sprinter Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) had a lot to celebrate Sunday. She earned her second victory of the season at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic and after the race acknowledged she would remain with the team for two more years.
"Yes, two more years. For sure there will be a lot of changing in the team with the girls. But I felt the one thing that I never miss in this team is the trust. So I think it's really important as a human, not as only a rider. They give me a lot of trust, so will be a great two more years," she said in Philadelphia after the sprint win.
The Italian threw her bike across the line at the US race to edge Alexandra Volstad (EF Education-Oatly) in a seven-rider front group.
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Consonni, who also specialises in endurance disciplines on the track, first signed for the German squad at the beginning of 2025 following her step to Women's WorldTour level with UAE Team ADQ in 2023.
Canyon-SRAM confirmed the contract extension on Monday, retaining the 27-year-old until the end of the 2028 season.
“I decided to extend my contract with CANYON//SRAM because I think I’ve given them 100% of myself, and I believe we can still improve a lot as a team," Consonni said in a team statement. "And the most important thing - because I find people that really believe in me and I want to give them something back."
Consonni has won five races on the road since joining Canyon-SRAM; no small feat for a sprinter, in an era that includes a rider as dominant as Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-ProTime).
“For me, two years ago, it was really hard to change everything," she explained. "But I feel like many aspects have improved race by race, especially the relationships and the feeling between the girls. I think that if we are a group that really wants to achieve something, we can keep improving, come to the start with the mentality of winning, and then we can do it.”
Consonni was a part of the Tour de France Femmes squad which supported Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney to a historic victory on Mont Ventoux - a day which the 27-year-old now holds as her fondest memory within the sport - and then finish on the overall podium in second place.
Her extension comes days after the team's first new signing for the 2027 season, as Lidl-Trek's multi-discipline talent Shirin van Anrooij was confirmed to be joining the team. With the expected departure of Niewiadoma-Phinney, securing Consonni's loyalty will be an important step towards determining a new direction for the team heading into the new season.
The team's Director of Sport Ralf Aldag expressed his delight over securing two more years of service from the Italian.
“Chiara has a great spirit, brings an extra laugh, and always boosts morale. She’s a committed teammate, and always has a really good chance to compete for victories in the sprints. She represents why we all got involved in cycling - being competitive while having fun.
"We can unlock more from Chiara if we give her more support, and grow her confidence. Key topic: strengthening the lead-out.”
Following the recent Tour of Britain Women, in which Consonni showed strong form by recording two stage podium finishes, she travelled to North America for the revived Philadelphia Cycling Classic, which returned after a 10-year absence, where she was able to translate that strong form into victory.
"It was a really long season. But yeah, Philadelphia was in my plan from the beginning, and I'm really happy to be here and did this race. And for sure, the winning is always something great," she told media, including Cyclingnews, after her win.
“I don’t want to try and achieve one particular race result, but I want to try to earn the trust of the girls. I know that I need to give them a lot for them to also give me a lot.
"Also, I’m just excited to race and to stay with the same people, because now I feel like I’ve found a really nice group and I know everyone much better than I did two years ago. I think that when you know people better, you also understand how to push them, and they know how to do it with me. I want to work with everyone, and keep doing everything that is possible.”
Following from her win in Philadelphia, Consonni will race on the road at Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region on September 13 before targeting the UCI Track World Championships in China in October.
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