
After reporting yesterday the news of Letizia Paternoster's collision with the jury car during the women's road race of the Italian Championship, which sparked a wave of controversy, tuttobiciweb has collected the testimony of the jury panel that responded to the accusations brought by the Trentine athlete from the Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre.
Letizia had told our microphones that she was "caught" by the jury car for 10 meters, a claim that was categorically denied by the jury panel. "Absolutely nothing happened as the Fiamme Azzurre athlete reported: the girl was not dragged" the judge sitting in the back seat of the "incriminated" car told us this morning. "During the descent, on the left, Vittoria Guazzini fell, we were the first follow car and as usually happens with crashes, there was a lot of confusion - the jury member told tuttobiciweb. We started to overtake on the right, right after there was a hairpin turn and Paternoster moved from left to right to widen the curve. She braked and we obviously just grazed her, if things had gone differently she would have fallen. What she says is not true, her follow car was right there and if she had mechanical problems she would have changed bikes. After the curve, Letizia shouted, I turned around and saw her pedaling, if her wheel had been broken she would have stopped."
Subsequently, there was a moment of confrontation between Letizia Paternoster and the jury panel that seemed to suggest a clarification. "Right after the finish, she told us verbatim: 'Did you mess me up?'. The driver apologized, said he didn't do it on purpose and then Letizia left - the judge continued. I wanted to add something, but she simply walked away and we thought the matter was closed there."