Thanks to her killer instinct, she gave the Top Girl-Fassa Bortolo team their first victory of 2026. Irma Siri, the girl with the face of a "girl next door", triumphed in Offida in the first stage of the Giro delle Marche in Rosa.

"I escaped with Katelyn Nicholson – explains Irma, 19 years old, who lives in Vallecrosia, (Imperia) with her mother Elena and father Piero – after 10 of the 15 laps to complete. During the last lap I attacked on the 1200-meter climb that precedes the finish line and I made it," she says.

There was a special dedication from Irma: "Beyond the finish line I thought of Samuele Privitera, my friend and neighbor, who lost his life last year at the Giro della Valle d'Aosta. Of course I also thanked my parents and the staff of Top Girl Fassa Bortolo, led by president Patrizia Zanette and coaches Lucio Rigato and Matteo Busato. In Offida all the girls on the team did fantastic work in my favor".

May is the ideal month for the blue-orange team: "It's the month in which for the past 3 years we've obtained our first seasonal victory," Busato points out. Yesterday Irma Siri tested the time trial bike assisted by the technicians of Top Girl-Fassa Bortolo. The time trial is a specialty in which Irma also won among the beginners.

From today Miss Siri will participate in the Tour Feminin, 4 stages, in the Czech Republic. The Elite race will begin with a 12,600-kilometer team time trial. "The team time trial will be important in the overall economy of the Tour Feminin – says Busato, a former professional cyclist – and Irma will contribute to maintaining a high pace: she is strong and tenacious". The Ligurian can also make a good showing in the Czech Republic. "Out of 3 road stages – adds Matteo – 2 have courses that suit Irma. The only stage with a severe and somewhat prohibitive course for her is the last one. Based on how she and the other girls perform in the team time trial, we will establish our race strategies".

Upon returning from the Czech Republic there will be the Romanengo time trial, in the Cremona plain. Irma triumphed in Romanengo in 2024, in her second season as a junior. Last year in the time trial challenge in Romanengo with the Elite, she did well, finishing in 5th place. "I hope to do better this year," says the likeable Ligurian. On Sunday, May 24, Irma Siri will compete in the race at the Monza Autodrome, which is an important stage for young riders. At the end of May the Giro d'Italia will begin for the cycling girls.

"We girls from Top Girl Fassa Bortolo – Irma clarifies – don't yet know who will be the starters at the Giro d'Italia. I'm certain that Lucio Rigato and Matteo Busato, based on the stage routes, will know how to choose the best lineup. Racing the Giro d'Italia would be an honor for me, however it's right that Lucio and Matteo decide if I deserve it".

The success in Offida galvanizes Irma: "I'm approaching peak condition without any pressure: the season is still long. Compared to 2025, I believe I've improved in climbing". Irma has always had a good relationship with the Italian National team. "I dream of wearing the Azzurri jersey again this year in a road competition for Under 23s".

Siri has always distinguished herself for her versatility skills. Her successes in cyclocross were numerous as a beginner and youth rider, then she achieved them on the track and was also Italian Champion in the team time trial on the road. She has always won on track and road. In 2023, as a junior, she became European Champion in the team pursuit. And with the Italian junior quartet the following year she finished third at the European Championship and World Championship. In the medium term, the versatile Irma could compete again in Azzurri colors on the track. It's Busato who reveals this: "Recently Irma has returned to the track, also making herself available to Diego Bragato of Team Performance and others from the Italian staff. Exactly as she did as a junior, she could race in the quartet, and possibly in other specialties. Based on the data collected by Bragato, our Irma has all the credentials to compete well on the track even with the Under 23s and Elite".

photo by Flaviano Ossola