For Sara Casasola, mud races are a magical place, the ideal terrain to express herself and, above all, have fun. Between the effort and tension of the race, there is always room for a smile for the Friulian athlete of Crelan Corendon; doing cyclocross is like breathing clean air, and just watching one of her races is enough to understand how strong, if not vital, her bond with this discipline is.

Yesterday in the Italian championship race, Sara swept away the competition. After the first lap on the wheel of Rebecca Gariboldi and Carlotta Borello (the outgoing champion), she opened the gas and became unstoppable. An incredible performance that was crucial to regaining race rhythm after a season that was like a roller coaster. Sara, in fact, after her first major results in Super Prestige and World Cup, had a respiratory tract infection and had to stop several times. "It wasn't a very easy approach, I would start and stop practically every other week, but fortunately I had a good training base, which helped me stay in the race. I wanted to test myself, especially for the race pace, which was actually the part I was missing most. Right after the start, I wasn't in the first positions precisely because I lacked intensity, and I preferred not to overdo it and burn myself out immediately. I did a bit of an elastic strategy, letting my opponents exhaust themselves, and then tried to tackle the technical part of the course at my own pace. As soon as I realized I had a bit of an advantage, I tried to stay consistent until the end. It's a special Italian title that gave me a chance to unblock myself and, above all, a great boost," Sara explained, who yesterday literally did a dress rehearsal, running with heart and, most importantly, with her head, aware of her limits and shortcomings, but always with the goal of giving her all.

We could talk about Sara endlessly, from her mathematics degree to her analytical yet passionate way of viewing every race. The fact is that she is one of the best athletes in the world in this discipline. She is a small gem that we often forget we have and that we should make shine even more, give her space, make her stand out. Cyclocross is not the main specialty in Italy; in fact, it is often unfairly relegated to a pastime to avoid staying idle during winter months. In Belgium, it's a religion, and Sara is one of the queens. While for Italian fans she is just one of many, elsewhere she is an authentic superstar; confirmation came directly from a Belgian colleague - just mentioning her name made his eyes light up. "Belgium is the home of cyclocross, what happens during the races is indescribable. The crowd cheers like crazy, and especially when they see a foreigner battling at the front, they literally go wild. I've had several instances of seeing signs with my name, and this truly moved me. I'm thousands of kilometers from home, and you don't expect to find something like this, but that's how they are. Unfortunately, in Italy, cyclocross isn't as deeply felt, but I see things are changing. In Brugherio, there were many fans and friends, and at the media level, they're starting to talk about us, we're being given space, and it's really beautiful. Belgium is the temple of cross, but Italy is special."

In an increasingly fast cycling with ever-longer seasons, Sara never stopped believing in the discipline she loves. When all her peers preferred to focus exclusively on road cycling and aim high, she wisely chose to continue having fun in the mud, thus becoming increasingly stronger. What might have seemed like a somewhat crazy decision to some can be understood by looking at Sara's performances last spring to see that cyclocross training is making her an even better athlete. The team never stopped supporting her choice; in Brugherio, they sent a fully equipped vehicle and mechanics directly from Belgium - they might seem like small things, but they make a difference. "I feel that cyclocross races are giving me a lot for road cycling, but in cross, you have much more fun, it's not the same thing. For me, it's more than a passion, and I'll continue doing it as long as I can. Stopping to switch to road is not an option for me, and I'm happy that the team is the first to support all this. Road cycling is growing on me, I feel I'm improving, but cyclocross is my first love, nothing will ever be like this discipline. I realize it's not easy to keep going, you need to be determined, and above all, lucky. To the girls who are faced with a choice, I would like to say that doing both is absolutely possible, and if the team forces you to choose, then it means it's not the right team," Sara tells us with complete sincerity, expressing her immeasurable love for this discipline.

After the Italian championship, Sara's season becomes even more intense, with the last World Cup events awaiting her, but especially the world championship scheduled for January 31st, with which she has an outstanding score to settle.