In 2021, Valentina Cavallar achieved her dream of competing at the Tokyo Olympics and never would have imagined that less than two years later she would give up everything to pursue cycling. Telling her story this way almost sounds like a joke, but the Austrian rider from team Sd Worx Protime was one of the great promises of rowing in the double sculls and participating in the Olympic Games was a gigantic goal. Suddenly, however, the spell broke and with great sacrifices Valentina became one of the most promising climbers in the world.

Valentina Cavallar's is one of those stories that are heard increasingly often in the cycling world—athletes from other sports who at some point, due to a fall or different life choices, decide to change everything and throw themselves into cycling. Hers, however, has a particular charm because in rowing she was doing quite well, yet at some point something stopped working, at Tokyo after so many sacrifices she had only reached "the B final," she couldn't give more, there were no more motivations and so one day that sign of destiny arrived that made her make her decision. «I practiced rowing for about ten years, but I always used the bike for training, especially during winter. The Olympics were the crowning of my dream, I continued with rowing, but somehow I started to understand that something wasn't right. A year after the Olympic Games I found myself in a training camp with the national team on the Franco-Belgian border, we were out on bikes and by chance we discovered that the Tour de France would be passing through. We went to watch a bit out of curiosity, but when I saw the race pass by the roadside I fell in love with cycling. I understood that it was what I wanted to do, I wanted to be one of those girls in the group and so I decided to try seriously. Less than a year later I definitively left my rowing career and promised myself not to look back, I believe that if you truly love something you must pursue it at all costs and give it everything you have.» Valentina recounts, and so she found herself at the roadside watching the stage with the Petit Ballon and at that moment her life completely changed. The Austrian decided to change everything, set aside not only her rowing career but her entire lifestyle to throw herself almost blindly into a new adventure.

Between rowing and cycling the difference is not small, in fact they are two almost completely different worlds. If on one hand a race lasts about ten minutes, on the bike there are multiple hours and you need a good dose of endurance. «It wasn't an easy transition because everything changes completely, from the type of effort to the type of nutrition, in cycling every day is completely different and perhaps that's exactly what I like most about this sport. Until two years ago I did some work as an athletic trainer in the rowing sector, but I managed to get by thanks to my parents who gave me a great hand. In Austria it's only possible to live off sport if you enter a military group, I tried various times and only succeeded in 2022 when I had already decided to follow the cycling path. Now this is my job and it almost doesn't seem real to me, I'm also enrolled in law school, but for now it's just a hobby I use during winter» Valentina continues. Her first experiences in the saddle were with small teams, then in mid-2024 she made the big leap into professional cycling with the Arke B&B Hotel jersey, which had offered her a two-year contract. Despite being new to the environment, she quickly found her place and established herself as one of the most important climbers in the group.

The big breakthrough came in the Alpe d'Huez stage of the 2024 Tour de France, precisely in that race that had opened her eyes to the cycling world, Valentina showcased her talent and finished seventh among all the best climbers in the group. It's an incredible result that introduced the Austrian athlete to the world, behind it are months of sacrifices, getting used to stress and especially being in the group which was absolutely not a walk in the park. Her first race was the Grand Prix de Chambery, a kind of leap into the void in which, however, Valentina proved to be more than prepared, managing to finish in the top 20. «My biggest fear was being in the group because it was something I had never done before, I felt inferior compared to my teammates, I knew I wasn't at their level, but this was very motivating because it pushed me to work hard and improve myself – Valentina said – my first time in the group was at Chambery and I remember being particularly struck by the phases just before the start: we were all together waiting for the same thing, we were all equal, we all wanted the same thing, then at some point the chaos began. In the group there was so much confusion, everyone shouting, moving from one side to the other, I immediately understood how difficult it was to ride a bike, you needed a thousand eyes. Initially I was always at the back and this made me burn a lot of energy, then little by little I understood, I gained confidence and started to feel good.»

From that 2024 Tour stage Valentina Cavallar becomes a closely watched prospect for all the most important World Tour teams and she doesn't disappoint expectations. In 2025 she wins the grueling Alpes Gresivaudan Classic, in all the climbing races she's always at the front of the group playing her cards and meanwhile she grows and learns to be a cyclist. This year she joined Sd Worx Protime, Anna Van Der Breggen's team decided to bet on her for a long-term project to return to winning a Grand Tour. Already in January Valentina was enthusiastic about the choice, training camps with the team were an opportunity to ask questions and better understand how to move in the group, she knows her adventure is just beginning, she still has much to learn and wants to proceed in small steps. The climb is her preferred battlefield and this year with an entire armada supporting her could do great things, 2026 will be crucial to understand how far she can go.

Tomorrow Valentina will be at the start of the Flèche Wallonne inaugurating her 2026 which is already full of objectives among climbs and Grand Tours. It's the beginning of a brand new chapter and we can't wait to see what happens.

(Photo by Team Sd Worx Pro Time)