After her first two seasons with Lidl Trek, marked by her first professional victories and top-10 finishes in Grand Tours, followed by two more seasons in which things took a turn for the worse due to a broken elbow and other health issues, 25-year-old Gaia Realini is ready to unleash once again her small but incredibly powerful engine on the climbs.

She had several options, but in the end it was love at first sight with Team Picnic PostNL: “When I visited their headquarters in the Netherlands, they immediately inspired a great deal of trust in me,” Gaia tells us. “They're a very professional structure that works properly together, and from my very first talks and experiences with them I can see that the people working there try to get the best out of each other. They support you 100% with even the smallest problem, they are rigorous and attentive, they help you and truly work as a team”.

Now, for the climber from Abruzzo, it's time for winter, rest and recharging both physically and mentally, without too many goals, pressures or excessive expectations: “For now, I have only signed for 2027, so that I can take things one step at a time. The meetings and training camps have yet to begin. So far, I've spoken a lot with Eleonora Ciabocco, who confirmed the atmosphere of mutual trust between riders and staff. Exactly what I need!”