ELENA CECCHINI. "I, A DIRECTOR IN A TEAM OF CHAMPIONS, TELL YOU THAT..."

INTERVIEW | 23/01/2025 | 08:30
di Giorgia Monguzzi
At Sd Worx Protime, the January training camp has just ended, and it seems that the Dutch squadron is more determined than ever. The presence of two-time world champion Lotte Kopecky and continental champion Lorena Wiebes already hints at the rich harvest the 2025 season could bring; without forgetting the great return of Anna Van Der Breggen after 4 years away from professional cycling. Among many tactics and grand maneuvers, there is someone like Elena Cecchini who plays a more than key role in the powerhouse; the Friulian, in her fifth year with Sd Worx, has become a certainty and an absolute point of reference for the great champions, the perfect guide to delve into the world of champions.

"I had an excellent winter, in November I took a two-week vacation without a bike as I usually do, it's a bit harder to restart, but it truly allows you to recharge your energy. In recent weeks, we were at a training camp in Javea, we had an entire hotel just for us with a gym and pool, it was an intense training camp that laid the foundations for the season, it's one of the few opportunities to see each other all together." Elena Cecchini tells us, taking us by the hand to discover the Dutch powerhouse where teamwork is one of the most important commandments. "The entire team management focuses a lot on team spirit, from the start they tend to make you responsible and involve you in the program you'll face," Elena continues. "In 2021, when I arrived, it was crucial to see how veterans like Anna Van Der Breggen or Chantal Blaak behaved. Now, I've become a point of reference. I like being able to help the young ones, advise them, it comes naturally to me, and it's beautiful to see how they've already settled in after a month."

Elena Cecchini has become an expert in the role of director for the world's strongest, able to give the team leaders confidence inside and outside the race thanks to her experience and the clear tactical insight she has more than perfected. "My role will always be supportive. Having champions like Lotte and Lorena on the team gives great motivation because you're certain they'll try in every way to win that race or at least put on a show. They know what they want, and I admire them precisely for this, they're not afraid to raise their hand and clearly say they want to win that race. It's fascinating to see how they think, a champion's instinct is something you're born with. I'm very different from them, but I've learned to understand them, to immediately intuit what they need. I believe that with time, with experience in this world, you start to understand that personal victory is not the most important thing. There's the team, so why not lend a hand to others? When you have such champions next to you, you're more motivated to give 110%, you know you're working for a purpose, and when you achieve it, it's beautiful. It happened like this at Roubaix, a race I never felt was mine, but when we won it with Lotte, everything changed: I understood the value of that race, the effort behind it, all its legend." Elena provides us with a clear, sincere picture that is also the basis of the team's organization. It's difficult to find someone willing to completely dedicate themselves to this type of work; it takes not only good will but experience that year after year has been refined, becoming a point of reference not only for her club team but also for the Italian national team. Thanks to her, many have celebrated at the finish line, among them Demi Vollering, a team leader, but above all a friend she has come to know perfectly on and off the bike.

The world of cycling, especially in recent years, is rapidly evolving, with new races emerging and squadrons strengthening, becoming more and more true powerhouses. If in past seasons we were used to seeing Sd Worx's dominance with few teams contesting the grand stages of stage races, now with various market movements, including Vollering's arrival at Fdj Suez or Longo Borghini at Uae Adq, everything could truly change in favor of greater spectacle. Certainly shaking up the cards will be Anna Van Der Breggen's return, who after leaving professional cycling in 2021 decided, at 34 years old, to completely get back in the game, generating general euphoria. Elena Cecchini has witnessed this change firsthand, having her as a teammate, as a sports director, and now again as an athlete, and like us, can't wait to discover what she might achieve, even if the impression is that she never completely left the bike. "I had Anna as a teammate in 2021, but for her it was an Olympic year, she had a clear objective and I could enjoy her little. Then she became a sports director, perfectly settling into that role, there was always the possibility of talking to her, but with more respect and distance. Now, she has been excellent at returning to her former self," Elena explains. "I had a bit intuited that something was brewing because she had started training with more consistency and seriousness, even though she had never actually stopped. Of course, she was cycling less than usual, but three training sessions with us were enough for her to get back in pace, her talent has always been there. When she stopped racing, she was coming from seasons with a lot of pressure, but she was young, only thirty years old, and in the meantime, cycling has changed a lot, everything is more professional, there are new races. Anna wants to challenge herself. I see her very happy with her choice, I believe what she has done shows her courage, she is an example for everyone."

In this 2025, Elena Cecchini's precious work will be more fundamental than ever, and she can't wait to start her fifteenth season as a professional. Her debut will be at the UAE Tour, then she'll begin the entire classics program with a special eye on Italian races like Strade Bianche, Binda, and the new entry Milano Sanremo. Many new challenges that the Friulian will face head-held high, ready to reach important milestones.