For motocross, Tony Cairoli; for cycling, Giada Specia. It's now official: KTM prefers Italian talents to enhance their brand in both divisions. The Sicilian motocross rider Cairoli wrote the most beautiful pages of his career riding for KTM. Giada Specia, 25 years old, from Pedavena, Veneto, also has the credentials to showcase KTM mountain bikes through victories.

The KTM Factory team, based in Graz, a renowned Austrian university town, relies heavily on Giada, a guarantee of strength, professional seriousness, and kindness. Provided that Miss Specia gives a kick to bad luck, after a season where her recovery period was longer than her competitive one. 2025 started well for her, second place in the international competitions in Verona and Albenga, third in San Zeno di Montagna.

Her condition was improving, however, on the eve of the first World Cup event in Brazil, the brunette from Pedavena encountered difficulties. "I fell during the course preview. I broke my pelvis", explains the winner of 5 Italian Championships, the last conquered in 2024. Precisely because it was a training day, the Brazilian ambulance service was quick. "Then, however, I spent 15 days in bed without moving, and I returned to Italy with the other KTM riders at the end of the South American race cycle".

Technology has made giant strides, a broken pelvis can be repaired even without a cast. "No plaster, however, I only got back on the bike for training at the end of July. The first training sessions were difficult as the period of inactivity had left its mark on my muscles".

Giada is a class athlete and proved it in late September at her seasonal re-debut on a gravel bike. She finished fourth in the European Gravel Championship, rich in altimetric difficulties, won by road climber Erica Magnaldi. Many road cyclists fresh from Vuelta a Espana, Giro d'Italia, Tour de France participated in the European event in Abruzzo. And naturally, many top-form off-road cyclists. Yet the Italian from Pedavena nearly made the podium.

"I was surprised by my performance after so much inactivity" - specifies Giada, second in 2022 with the Italian team in the Mountain Bike Relay European Championship and then at the World Championship - "in a race that lasted three and a half hours, significantly longer than normal cross-country. I'm strong on climbs in mountain biking, and this proved advantageous in gravel".

At the World Gravel Championship in the Netherlands, dominated by the extraordinary Lorena Wiebes, Giada finished 25th. An honorable result in the 4-hour competition for a girl with limited preparation. Then she came fourth in a cross-country in Serbia. "In the end of the season, I focused more on recovery and eliminating discomforts", specifies the only Italian in the KTM Factory team. After New Year's in Romagna, Giada is thinking about preparing for the 2026 season: "The training program is different from previous winters: I need to recover muscle tone. If possible, I'll also compete in some gravel races. In mountain biking, I'm an endurance rider, and that's an advantage for gravel".

Clearly, mountain bike is the priority: "Occupying noble positions in the World Cup ranking has always been a goal for me. The 2026 World Cup calendar has stimulating events, including the Italian one in La Thuile".

The European titles will be awarded in Switzerland, while Val di Sole will again host the World Championships. "Important appointments on very beautiful courses, I hope to achieve significant results". The competitive debut is scheduled for late February. "I have a strong desire for revenge after what happened to me in 2025". Giada's comeback is based on a fundamental component: "Fun. I want to enjoy racing and training again. In the races and training sessions of late 2025, for obvious reasons related to recovering my pedaling stroke, posture, and movement dynamics, I didn't enjoy myself. I'm certain that if everything goes well and I have fun, I can achieve good results".

In 2025, Miss Specia and other skilled mountain bike specialists were supposed to participate with the National team in the international Ponente in Rosa stage race. It was planned by the blue team coach Mirko Celestino to accelerate condition ahead of spring off-road events. A stage race on the road, a solution often successfully adopted by the Swiss Mountain Bike National team: in 2023, Jolanda Neff won 2 stages and triumphed in the general classification at Ponente in Rosa. Unfortunately, due to organizational issues, Ponente 2025 was cancelled. "A real shame," notes Giada, "as it would have been an important, formative, and probably enjoyable professional experience". Now the KTM flag-bearer concentrates solely on mountain biking. "For this year, it's like this, I must first regain total efficiency, I want to recover and express myself at the best levels on a mountain bike".

Experiences with road cycling are just postponed. "At least by a year or two," adds the blue athlete, "also because I must first give my best in mountain biking. In the MTB world, unfortunately, it's not all roses and flowers: some important teams have ceased activities. Also for this reason, competitive activity on the road in the medium or long term can become an important asset for us who grew up riding mountain bikes".