Mission accomplished, the Belluno native Giada Specia can enjoy a peaceful winter. For the off-road racer from Pedavena, 2026 represented the year of her comeback after an unfortunate previous season.

In spring 2025 while training in Brazil on the circuit of the mountain bike World Cup race she fell. Medical report: pelvic fracture plus 2 vertebrae.

Technology allowed the Ktm Factory rider to recover without a cast. She returned to training at the end of July, clearly without excessive workloads. In the final part of the 2025 season she competed in some mountain bike and gravel races with decent results. Clearly 2026 represented an unknown for Miss Specia: would she return as the high-level athlete that everyone appreciated until 2024?

"Certainly in 2026 Giada raced well and her constant presence in the top 15 positions in World Cup races demonstrates this – declares Nadia De Negri, technical commissioner of the National women's mountain bike team -. Giada also finished fifteenth at the World Championships in Val di Sole and 12th place at the Europeans in Canton Ticino, honorable results. It wasn't easy to recover after an injury like hers. Giada with character and strength returned to being competitive".

Specia this year triumphed in the Italian Cup race at Stevenà di Caneva, in Friuli, ahead of Sara Cortinovis and Lucia Bramati. Regarding the Europeans on Monte Ceneri, noteworthy is the 2nd place in the team relay. "The results show that we can rely on Giada in the future – adds Nadia, who was second at the 1997 World Cross Country Championship – also because she has considerable room for improvement. Above all, she needs to work a lot on downhill technique. At the cross country World Championships in Val di Sole on the main climb she gained 3 or 4 positions, then lost them on the descent. If she improves even slightly in technique, in the coming years she will be able to fight more often to reach the top positions at major events. She's only 26 years old, she can do it".

She's also versatile: "This year – says De Negri – we fielded her at the marathon World Championships at Fiera di Primiero. She finished sixth, a great result". Giada feels very competitive on circuits characterized by long climbs: "I also do well on those that have descents with technical sections and to be tackled at non-high speeds".

Mirko Celestino, now the Italian men's technical commissioner, until last year also oversaw the women. "Giada has a great engine", emphasizes Mirko. The brunette from Ktm Factory at the Italian cross country championship at Nervesa della Battaglia finished second, preceded by Martina Berta. "It was one of my best athletic performances of 2026 – Giada assures –; I achieved 2nd place behind a Martina Berta galvanized by her World Cup victory at La Thuile".

Instead the most difficult moment for Giada in the last season concerned the World Cup race at Nove Mesto Na Morave, in Czechia. "It was the opening race of the World Cup – she explains – and I still had the accident from last year in my mind". Giada finished it in 38th place. "That day mentally I never felt like I was in the race".

The Belluno native has no regrets about other races: "I'm someone who gives everything in a race, I rarely have anything to blame myself for. Cross country requires continuous effort and concentration, generally you don't complain after the race. It's not like a road race where there are many variables that can affect a result".

Now Giada is thinking about 2027, a season in which she will always be with Ktm Factory: "I'm pedaling almost every day favored by still beautiful days". She has planned a double training session in Spain, on the Costa Blanca, in January. "In the first period I'll train on my own. Then I'll do the team training with the entire Ktm Factory".

She will make her competitive debut in Spain, at La Nucia, also Costa Blanca. "I'd like to start the new season strong. I hope to reach ideal condition soon and maybe win at Albenga, Verona or other early season Italian cross country races".

The next World Championships will be global, with all track, road and mountain bike specialties. The cross country title will be awarded at Les Gets, in Upper Savoy, while Sweden will host the Europeans. All appointments that Giada has marked with a red pen. "With the hope of deserving the call-up and making a good impression". In recent years she has never managed to compete in road races given her numerous commitments in mtb. She was succeeding in March 2025: the bikers' technical commissioner Celestino had set up a National off-road team to participate in the Ponente in Rosa stage race, a Ligurian race. But that "Ponente" was canceled at the last minute. "In other nations – Giada points out – it's an almost fixed rule to have mountain bike specialists also race on the road, to improve endurance, strategy, and riding skills. The Swiss off-road National team, which is among the best in the world, does it regularly. If I can, I'll carve out some space to race on the road".