Yesterday tuttobiciweb presented an interview with Rachele Barbieri who told us about her preparation and the start of her season down under. In the conversation with the 27-year-old athlete from Emilia, we also discussed the issue of safety, remembering Sara Piffer, who passed away last week after being hit while training on the roads of Trentino.

With deep words and much emotion, the Picnic PostNL rider told us how she learned the news. "It was a hard blow. Here in Australia it was morning, I had just woken up, and Eleonora Ciabocco asked me if I had read what happened. My thoughts immediately went to her parents and her brother who was there with her".

She then added: "I also heard about a guy hit while going to work, it happened not far from where my parents live. It's dangerous, every day it gets worse. I believe there's a lack of respect and above all, everyone is in too much of a hurry, which leads to not realizing the consequences".

Barbieri did not hide her concern, emphasizing: "I believe it is necessary to act to prevent these things. Cycling is a beautiful sport, but unfortunately in Italy we are still far behind in terms of safety. I hope something can change soon".

She then told us about her experience in Australia, noting a big difference compared to Italy: "Here, on almost all roads, there is a space, a lane just for bikes, and this surprised me very much. Yes, it's true, a couple of cars made a somewhat risky overtake, but most drivers wait to have clear space in the opposite direction and a long straight road before passing us. Sometimes we signaled to the driver to go ahead, but those following us waited respectfully behind us. I truly believe that in Australia there are laws and regulations for road safety, here I felt safe".