Some encounters are part of destiny, indissoluble bonds born by chance that suddenly become magical and vital. This is the case of Vittoria Ruffilli and Giulia Giuliani, both 22 years old, a climber from Piedmont and a passer from Abruzzo; two girls with completely different backgrounds who found themselves friends and teammates. Now they are ready to take the big step into the World Tour with the Swiss team Roland.

For Giulia Giuliani, cycling was a family affair. She started at six years old following in the footsteps of her father Enrico and brother Luca, making many sacrifices to pursue her dream. In the youth categories, she was the Abruzzo regional champion and then left Pescara province for Veneto to join Ciclismo Insieme. "Those were very difficult years. I had school, but every weekend I would leave by train with my bike to go to the team's headquarters. I would travel countless hours, but I didn't care because all I wanted was to ride my bicycle. I collected many satisfactions, it was always beautiful, and most importantly, I grew up and learned to manage myself. My family always supported me, and they would come to cheer for me whenever they could," Giulia tells us, who was also part of the National team during her young career.

While for Giulia, cycling was a passion since childhood, Vittoria almost accidentally arrived at the sport without going through youth categories. The girl from Novara had started with Triathlon, a discipline where she excelled, but then came injuries, leading to her departure in 2019. However, thanks to a family friend, a new adventure emerged. "I came to cycling by chance. After leaving triathlon, I didn't have my own dimension, so I decided to dive in," Vittoria recounts. "The first races were impossible, but then step by step, I started feeling comfortable, understanding that I was doing something that belonged to me. For me, cycling became a safe harbor. I would go out to train with many problems and return a different person. Unfortunately, many people around me set limits because I started late, so everything became a challenge for me: I wanted to continue and prove them wrong."

Like all beautiful things, the meeting between Giulia and Vittoria happened by chance. It was late 2020, Massimo Ruffilli and Massimo Rossetti were putting together a women's team with Bortolami's support, searching for athletes. Vittoria suggests a girl she's heard great things about named Giulia, though she doesn't know exactly who she is. Initially, her father doesn't want her in the team, thinking she lives too far away and is probably already settled. Yet, he decides to try. Giulia had already made arrangements with VO2 for an elite transition but wasn't certain. When she receives the new proposal, she initially thinks it's a team from Marche and declines the invitation. After consulting her father Enrico, she accepts. It's the beginning of a true adventure. Giulia and Vittoria race together, get to know each other, and after a chat about Nutella, they realize they have a connection. Vittoria starts being coached by Enrico Giuliani, who, after the Italian championships in Puglia in June 2021, invites her to spend time in Abruzzo. What was supposed to be a couple of days transforms into weeks, months. Vittoria spends the entire summer in Corvara, returns the following winter to train better, and is literally welcomed by Giulia's family, forming a deep bond that goes beyond simple friendship. They race side by side, becoming each other's support, first in the Gb Junior Team Piemonte and then in the K2 Women Team in 2024.

Giulia and Vittoria, besides being friends, are united by their never-give-up attitude. Both talented, they encountered numerous physical challenges and misfortune that never allowed them to truly demonstrate their worth. In 2024, we followed them closely, witnessing their hopes and dedication to following their dream. At the end of June, on the eve of the Italian road championships in Tuscany, Vittoria had said something that particularly struck us: "My great dream is to enter the World Tour. I realize it's difficult; everyone tells me I started cycling too late. I know it's challenging, but I don't want to stop racing with the regret of not having even tried." She was at a career crossroads, things weren't going well, and she was on the verge of quitting, as few were still believing in her. Between June and July, something changed—an incredible willpower that pushed Vittoria to go against everything and everyone. Along with her, Giulia also took revenge on the many stops she had experienced. At the Tour de l'Ardeche, the two K2 Women Team girls play all their cards, making themselves visible on an international stage, and the Roland call consequently arrives. Initially, neither of them believes it possible to have the opportunity to realize their dream, yet they sign their first-year contract without hesitation.

The start of the season is just around the corner, and Giulia and Vittoria are more charged than ever. This year, they are being prepared by Fabio Vedana and are enthusiastic about their progress. There is still much to work on, but they are growing visibly. "It was destiny that we would pass into the World Tour together. I started seriously cycling thanks to Giulia. We were each other's support. If I became an athlete, it's especially thanks to her and her father Enrico, who taught me how to be a cyclist and believe in myself," Vittoria tells us. This could be the perfect ending to their friendship story, and instead, it's exactly the beginning of a new adventure, once again together, side by side, as destiny intended.