2026 brings changes, and for Francesca Barale it's a truly significant transformation. After 4 seasons with Team Dsm, which later became PicNic Postnl, the twenty-two-year-old from Domodossola has decided to join Movistar to start a completely new adventure. It was a decision made both rationally and emotionally, as she explains. After turning pro with the Dutch team and accumulating experiences, it was time to change, seek new spaces, and try a different path.

Among the many teams approaching Francesca, Movistar immediately caught her attention from various perspectives. After two training camps, she can confidently say her impression has been more than good. Talking to her on the phone, it seems she has already found her place in a group where she is the only new seasonal addition. "I was a bit scared of this new experience. After 4 years in the same team, you develop habits that are hard to let go of. Instead, I found a beautiful environment that welcomed me with open arms. I'm the only new member, so it was quite strange, but I've already found my place in a well-oiled mechanism. The staff speaks Spanish, but understands Italian very well. They ask me lots of questions, and meanwhile, I'm studying on Duolingo to not be caught unprepared." Francesca explains that after the last season with the Dutch team, her choice was more than reasonable. After Juliette Labous' departure, PicNic struggled to find a true leader, leaving more space for free riders and especially young riders to take their first steps. In Movistar, things are completely different, with well-defined team leaders like Marlen Reusser and Liane Lippert, and a hierarchical structure where everyone finds their place and can express themselves at their best - an organization that Francesca currently wants and feels she needs.

Things have changed from the training method too. She will no longer have a full-on season but will work with two or three annual peak fitness periods to be ready at specific moments. In the first part of the year, she should focus more on stage races, following Marlen Reusser's group, and then try to find her own spaces race by race. Francesca's objective, and one of the reasons for changing teams, is the desire to understand what kind of athlete she can become. She, who jokingly calls herself an "hybrid", is facing the choice of the right path to take. Her departure from PicNic was not a break, but the conclusion of a journey that made her grow. In 2022, Francesca was the first Italian junior to directly join a World Tour team - a choice that is almost standard now, but four years ago meant having not just courage, but numbers. "I will always be grateful to PicNic for everything they taught me. They welcomed me as a very young rider and helped me understand how to become an athlete. I never felt pressure, but they helped me grow gradually, learning group dynamics, race tactics - all fundamental things for a young rider. If I could go back, I would choose them again, but I've reached a moment where I feel the need to explore and challenge myself," Francesca continues, having left a piece of her heart in the Dutch team. Beautiful memories, friends, but especially that special bond with Eleonora Ciabocco, with whom she shared many trips and emotions for three years. "After the last race we did as teammates, Eleonora and I broke down in tears. Our friendship is magical, and I'm sure it will last forever. In these years we've been together a lot, between races and training camps. I often went to her place in Marche or she came to mine in Piedmont, bringing her wave of energy. We were so close that sometimes people would mistake us for each other. However, we'll still have opportunities to be together, not just as opponents. I hope to still share the emotion of the blue jersey with her. This year we flew to Rwanda with the first group, and those were beautiful days - me for the first time as an elite rider, and her just missing a podium. And who knows what might happen in the future."

A promising athlete since her youth categories, Francesca Barale grew without grand proclamations, but learning a lot. We followed her step by step, from the Tuttobici Oscar for best newcomer and junior to the best junior award, with the goal of reaching the top. Her idol has always been Elisa Longo Borghini, whom she wanted to resemble, dreaming of racing with her - an unreachable idol who became a special friend and training companion. "Training with her is beautiful. At first, it was a bit strange, now it's practically my daily routine. Whenever we can, we go out together. It's not easy to keep up with her; she's a great athlete who always goes full throttle, but over time I've learned to resist much more. She was always my idol, and pedaling beside her is an honor. She teaches me something new every time, and let's be honest, learning from her is easy because she's very generous and gives tons of advice. What I admire most is her confidence. Longo has an incredible mind, knows exactly what she can do, and doesn't hide behind anything. She always tells me I must believe more in myself and have more awareness of my abilities. It's a lesson I carry in my heart, which she repeats even when we're far apart. I've been away from home for a while now, and I miss training with her." Barale tells us with a smile. Beside Longo Borghini, she learned a lot, a kind of special school she will certainly return to for new lessons. Meanwhile, these days she's in Girona, preparing for the season in the best way possible. And speaking of unbreakable bonds, since November she has decided to share an apartment with her friend and former teammate Pfeiffer Georgi to pedal a bit in the warmth and avoid the rigid temperatures of her region. Her new adventure is about to begin, and Francesca can't wait to face it as she always has: with a smile and the determination to live her dream.