Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini had to wait until the end of the season to finally raise her arms to the sky. The UAE Team L'Imad rider secured a beautiful victory in the sixth edition of the Tre Valli Varesine, taking the baton from her teammate Elisa Longo Borghini, in a tight sprint where she beat Sarah Van Dam and Noemi Ruegg.

Eleonora's emotion at the finish line was palpable, and from this morning there was someone pushing the Emirati team's riders. Masseur David Facciano, who passed away last week, was from Busto Arsizio, the race's starting point, and Gasparrini immediately wanted to dedicate the victory and a special thought to him. "After David's passing, it was difficult to race, particularly today because this was his home race. He was a special person, always brought a smile, and he was my masseur—I confided in him often and trusted him. In a way, today he pushed all of us; we raced for him, we carried him in our hearts and minds throughout the entire race," explained Eleonora, who, thanks to her teammates, put together a perfect day. First Swinkels in the breakaway, then the powerful pace-setting by Silvia Persico who launched her toward the final sprint. "This morning we had multiple plans; if we'd arrived in a bunch sprint, the team would have worked for me, but from the start we wanted to race hard and attack," Eleonora continued. "It was an uncertain finale until the very end because the girls up front tackled the final climb very strongly and then at some point they slowed down. Behind us, we were trying to break up the pace changes while also preparing for the sprint. We regrouped less than a kilometer from the finish, and at that point Silvia Persico was incredible, keeping me in front through all the curves in a spectacular way."

This is Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini's first seasonal victory, and this year we've seen her constantly working to support her teammates. In many of UAE Team L'Imad's victories, the Piedmont-based athlete's fingerprints are evident, as she never held back on any terrain. "It's been an intense season, but I'm very happy with my performances; I was just missing a victory. Physically, I feel I've grown a lot, I hold better on climbs, and I can be more present in the finale even when the race gets tougher. Perhaps I had fewer personal opportunities, but I had the chance to test myself by helping my teammates. This victory is like a reward for all the hard work, and even though I had to wait until the end to achieve it, I'm very happy," said Eleonora, who in recent weeks wore the Italian national jersey at the European and World Championships.

With the Tre Valli Varesine wrapped up, the final appointment will be the Giro del Veneto Women before a well-deserved vacation.