For Elena Cecchini, the Italian Championships in Darfo Boario Terme have a special flavor; right here in 2016, the Friulian athlete secured her third consecutive national jersey with a solo attack on a course very similar to the one the athletes will face today. These are hectic days for Elena, who a few days ago participated in the election of the new CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio as one of the 10 representatives of the athletes' selection. The important role was assigned to her last May, proposed by the president of the Italian Cycling Federation Dagnoni.

"Thursday was a very important day because after 12 years we were called to change president, and it wasn't easy because Malagò did great things for Italian sports and always had a very friendly and paternal approach with us athletes. There will be a change, but it will be very exciting to experience it from the inside. The role assigned to me is of great responsibility because we are only 10 athletes representing all sports in Italy. It's an experience that helps me grow as a person and gives me the opportunity to compare notes with representatives from sports very different from cycling," Elena tells us, explaining the great responsibility of her role. In the CONI assembly, there is indeed the opportunity to participate in a true exchange and comparison between the most diverse sports, and one of Cecchini's next moves will be to bring up hot-button issues in the cycling world, such as road safety.

After archiving the election of the new CONI president, Elena Cecchini immediately arrived in Darfo Boario Terme, where yesterday morning she did a reconnaissance of the 130 km race. While we are usually accustomed to seeing her racing in the SD Worx jersey, for the national championship she will return to wearing the colors of the Fiamme Azzurre group alongside Chiara Consonni and Letizia Paternoster. "When I found out that the Italians were returning to Darfo Boario Terme, I was immediately very happy because I have beautiful memories tied to this place, and Elia (Viviani) also won here in 2018. Every Italian championship is always exciting to race, it's a different race from all others with often very different dynamics. - Elena continues - the course is a bit different from 9 years ago, starting with the final climb that I remembered being shorter. On paper, it's not an extremely difficult course, but not too predictable either. I believe it's open to various scenarios. Let's not forget the heat that could make the difference."

There is much anticipation for this Italian Championship race that could be truly unpredictable, especially because the expected temperatures over 35°C could put several athletes in difficulty. The general idea is that the race could already explode in the initial laps, and in the absence of the large teams we are used to, the show is guaranteed. "We are only 3 in the team, Chiara and Letizia are strong, but we cannot take responsibility for controlling the race. There are teams much more equipped than ours, and it will be their job to manage the inevitable attacks. However, one must start with the mentality that if you want to open the race, it's necessary to sacrifice one person, otherwise you're racing for second place. Like all Italian championships, it will be unpredictable," Elena explains. When we ask her for her personal prediction, the Friulian responds succinctly without beating around the bush, giving us the same name we had already heard from Elisa Longo Borghini. "The favorite is Elisa Balsamo, right now she is the strongest."

Photo CONI credit Simone Ferraro/Roberto Di Tondo