Two rows of cheering crowds, thunderous applause, her arms raised in front of the Verona Arena. It's the beautiful postcard of the end of the season that Silvia Persico gifted us at the Veneto Tour. On Corso di Porta Nuova, in front of the temple of opera, she delivered her best performance of 2025.

"It was amazing to raise my arms on the same finish straight where two World Championship editions took place," Silvia exclaims. "It's a victory I've been chasing in the last races of the season. The final circuit with the Torricelle climb is perfect for my characteristics. It proved selective even though we only tackled it twice. Racing it four times in a World Championship would be ideal, maybe for my victory," she adds with a smile, the proud representative of Uae-Adq, who has podium finishes in cyclocross, gravel, and road race World Championships.

The victory in the new Veneto Tour, the closing race of the Women's Regions' Cup, was a well-deserved reward for Miss Persico. The girl from Cene (Bergamo) started the season well with second and third positions in the Mallorca races. At the UAE Tour, she finished second in the Jebel Hafeet stage and in the general classification behind team captain Elisa Longo Borghini. Unfortunately, a couple of crashes, including the one in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, slowed Silvia's momentum.

"After Liège," notes the Bergamo accountant, "the UAE Adq program included races in Spain and other countries where I would have had much tactical freedom. I would have often chased victory. Instead, I remained competitively inactive for several weeks."

At the Giro d'Italia, Silvia effectively supported team captain Longo Borghini. The tenacious girl from Val Seriana contributed significantly to Longo Borghini's triumphant second win in the pink race. Silvia Persico took the stage at the Veneto Tour wearing leader jerseys from special classifications in the Regions' Cup.

"The challenge promoted by the Cycling League represents a great novelty that revitalizes the cycling environment, and the women's cycling especially needed it," she emphasizes. "The Regions' Cup brings advantages for the entire movement. For example, for us girls, it's wonderful to start knowing that the prize money for the top finishers is the same as for male professionals. It's a significant social achievement even before a sporting one. And thanks to the new Italy Cup and the Cycling League, we've increased our TV spaces, especially live broadcasts on RAI and other networks. We're also seen more often on other platforms. I thank President Roberto Pella and the entire Cycling League."

After her "Veneto" victory, the Val Seriana cyclist enjoyed a "multinational" vacation in Spain and Egypt. Then she participated in the first UAE-Adq training camp in Abu Dhabi for the 2026 season. Now it's cyclocross time, a discipline Persico has successfully practiced for several winters. She even became Italian Champion in January 2022 in Variano di Basiliano. But this autumn-winter, she won't compete in cross.

"The road season, despite the April injury, was long, and the new one will start soon. Unfortunately, I have to postpone cyclocross activities." Despite the rational "betrayal" of cyclocross, Silvia Persico remains a multi-discipline miss. As a junior, she won the Italian Team Pursuit Championship. She finished second in the 2023 Gravel World Championship. This year at the Gravel World Championship in the Netherlands, she won bronze. Lorena Wiebes won, with Marianne Vos taking silver: meaning only two "Martians" preceded Silvia.

"I absolutely love the gravel discipline," states the sister of professional cyclist Davide Persico, a new signing for MBH Bank-Ballan. Silvia still has many career years ahead to conquer important honors: "I dream of winning the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race, classics that suit my characteristics. And I've often placed among the top in Strade Bianche, another race I dream of winning". She's also loyal to stage races: "I want to wear the pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia, at least for some transitional stage."