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In her first race for Trek-Segafredo, Gaia Realini confirmed the climbing prowess that netted her a three-year contract with the ladies’s WorldTour squad and set-up total victory within the UAE Tour Girls race.
The minuscule 21-year-old Italian climber rode the peloton off her wheel on the Jebel Hafeet climb after which continued to set the tempo for her teammate Elisa Longo Borghini, who went on to win the stage with Realini beside her. Longo Borghini took the chief’s jersey, with Realini now second total at simply seven seconds.
Realini and everybody at Trek-Segafredo had been ecstatic together with her efficiency and the crew’s outcomes.
“At this time was a really arduous day, for me it was an unimaginable day, the primary yr on this large crew, the primary race this yr, and this consequence – that’s very, excellent. Elisa and I had a superb rhythm on the climb, it was a giant day for the crew,” Realini stated.
Having raced primarily cyclo-cross in her junior years and her first U23 season, Realini was picked up by Italian Continental crew Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria for 2021 and 2022. On the age of 20, she made herself generally known as a proficient climber on the Giro Donne, ending sixth in Prato Nevoso and eleventh on Monte Matajur on the best way to eleventh total and second within the Beneath 23 classification.
Realini carried out even higher on the 2022 Giro Donne. Though the outcomes sheet says in any other case, with thirteenth place total because the third-best U23 rider, Realini was far more seen than the yr, ending seventh at Prato Nevoso on stage 7 and occurring a long-range breakaway with Kristen Faulkner (then Crew BikeExchange-Jayco) on stage 9.
Realini lead a lot of the best way up the Passo Daone, the Cima Coppi of the race, however was ultimately dropped by Faulkner who went on to win the stage whereas Realini completed in fifth place.
Trek-Segafredo had already been in talks with the younger Italian climber earlier than the Giro Donne, and in mid-August, Realini was introduced as a brand new signing by the crew.
On the time, Realini referred to Longo Borghini as her function mannequin and level of reference. Six months later Realini and Longo Borghini lined up for a race in the identical jersey for the primary time.
For the primary time since she was sixteen, Realini missed the cyclo-cross season to focus absolutely on her highway coaching and making ready for her first full Girls’s WorldTour season.
On the Jebel Hafeet, Realini rapidly reduce the group of favourites to half its earlier dimension after which on the five-kilometre to go mark, solely Longo Borghini was left in her wheel.
Realini clearly loved the day, her smiles to the digital camera belying the hassle she put in, distancing the remainder of the race by at the least a minute.
Longo Borghini defined the feelings and eventual crew techniques in her post-race interview.
“We had been a bit of bit enthusiastic, particularly Gaia. She’s actually enthusiastic, and she or he was actually into this recreation. At one level she stated: ‘I wish to cry’. She is an unimaginable bike rider, and I’m trying ahead to giving this victory again to her,” Longo Borghini stated in gratitude after pulling on the chief’s jersey earlier than Sunday’s remaining flat stage round Abu Dhabi.
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