Rebecca Gariboldi will race for the De Ceuster Bouwkranen team from Antwerp in Belgium during the upcoming cyclocross season. A real coup for the twenty-nine-year-old athlete who in the last two seasons has raced for the Modena-based Ale CX Team. Training, preparing races, and competing in Belgium, in the "cyclocross homeland," is a magnificent opportunity that Rebecca has earned through hard work and continuous growth, year after year, which has brought her into the top ten of international races, especially in the last season. Leaving the Modena team was not easy for Gariboldi (No. 22 in the UCI cyclocross ranking for the 25-26 season), but she is diving into her new adventure with great enthusiasm.

"Certainly I'm experiencing mixed emotions because I'm leaving the Ale CX Team, where in two seasons I found a second family. A team where I felt great both with the management and with my teammates. We shared everything. But this call from De Ceuster Bouwkranen is a train that doesn't come twice in a lifetime; there are few opportunities and few spots available to board it. Having had the chance, I couldn't waste it. Stefano (Belloi, president of Ale CX Team, ed.) was the first to push me, to tell me I had to get on the train, and with their support I launched myself into this new adventure. I'm happy and motivated. The bar is raised very high racing in Belgium, but all the premises to do well are there. I found a great group; this summer I've already worked with them racing some road races to prepare for the winter season".

How did this great opportunity come about, naturally driven by the good results you achieved in the last season, including in international races?
"The results I obtained in races in Belgium and the Netherlands pushed the team to contact me. From the very first moment, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place; everything just worked out. Their team has been primarily a Belgian reality over the years, and in recent years they've expanded abroad. Last season the first non-Belgian athlete arrived, the Dutch Betsema, and this year with my arrival it has become even more international".
You were born and raised in Brianza in Lissone; in 2024 you became a resident of Brescia in Franciacorta, living in Rovato with your husband Davide Martinelli, now a sports director but also a great rider among the professionals. Now you're going to Belgium for the winter season, and your life is changing completely once again. Of course, you've taken this into account; how will you handle the new situation?

"Davide and I have clearly discussed it, and he also agrees that this is an opportunity that comes only once in a lifetime. And it arrives at the right moment when I have the maturity to face the change, both professionally and personally. I must say that I'm not moving to Belgium permanently; I'll have an apartment as a base, but whenever I can I return to my home in Italy, where life is just too good".

Rebecca Gariboldi, at the end of the 26-27 cyclocross season, would be happy if…
"If I could raise the bar once again. My goal every year is never to win a race or anything like that, but rather the challenge with myself to always try to improve season after season. Already finding good consistency from the beginning to the end could be a nice achievement. Last year I finished well, in an upward trajectory, and I hope to find good form right from the start in a challenging calendar with many important and difficult races. It's a brand new year, everything to see and try; I would like to experience a season where I can express myself at my best in every race".