ERICA MAGNALDI. "READY TO WORK FOR ELISA, READY TO MAKE MY MARK"

INTERVIEW | 15/12/2024 | 08:26
di Giorgia Monguzzi
In recent years, Erica Magnaldi has proven to be a reliable asset for UAE ADQ, strong uphill, resilient, but above all in love with her work. After good results in 2024, the cyclist from Cuneo is already working to best tackle her fourth season with the Emirati team. These days she is in Benidorm for a training camp with the squad and we took the opportunity to review her recent seasons and understand how she is preparing for her new role as a luxury domestique for Elisa Longo Borghini. Erica Magnaldi's season was consistent with many placements, once again dedicating herself to stage races and achieving her first podium at the Giro, a result that pushed her to work even harder. "From my 2024, I take many positive things and many lessons that I treasure immensely. I'm happy to have approached some races in a more free and aggressive way, for example at the Giro I focused less on the general classification and could try to contest some stages. The third place in Chieti is a good result, it's not a victory or a dream realized, but a clear starting point. I'm also proud of my performance at the Tour de France, it was a very competitive race and I was disappointed to miss the top ten by just a few seconds. For me, it's a good result because I confirmed that I can provide solidity. There are many good placements, but honestly, that's not enough for me..." Erica explains, who over the years has established herself as a reference point for the team, an athlete who can always be counted on. Consistency is her characteristic, she's "consistent" as they say in English, yet she would like to take a further step. "I feel like a solid athlete, it's my main characteristic and I really like it – she continues – thanks to tenacity I manage to perform well throughout the season, but I would like to not just always be present, but to make my mark." In the major changes at UAE ADQ, Erica should be the most affected, but also the athlete with the most key role in the team's new setup. Until now, within the formation, she was tasked with trying to make the classification, but with the arrival of Elisa Longo Borghini, all the pressure shifts to the Italian champion, for whom she is preparing to be an extra-luxury domestique. "I'm extremely happy about Elisa's arrival and I believe my role will definitely change. Women's cycling is continuously evolving and I realize that currently I'm missing something to guarantee results for the team, while Longo is a certainty. I put myself at her disposal and I'm ready to take on the domestique role, but this doesn't mean definitively giving up on my own race. In some cases, I'll have to work, in others I'll be freer to express myself," Erica explains, who in the 2022 Giro had already worked as a domestique for Mavi Garcia. On that occasion, UAE ADQ obtained an excellent third place, the best result in a major stage race, but now they aim for the full package. Around Elisa Longo Borghini, there will indeed be a true powerhouse composed of many Italian athletes. As Silvia Persico had told us a few days ago, this change of direction is destined to create order in the team, but also to give everyone a bit more freedom. Erica also wants to be ready, prepared to work but also to hunt for personal opportunities. "In the last two years, both Silvia and I have somewhat suffered from the responsibility on our shoulders. In the absence of a single leader, we had the task of making the classification and obtaining results at all costs, and this becomes particularly stressful over time. Having a figure like Elisa will mean having more order, a true captain, but also having more opportunities to take risks, to attack, to shake things up without the fear of losing everything for the team, something a leader can hardly do." After a brief period of rest, Erica is gradually entering full training mode, complementing cycling with running, a discipline she has always loved, and gym work. With her trainer Dario Giovine, she has created a gradual approach to races to be ready for her debut. After the training camp with the team, she will move to Malaga to acclimatize to the heat and then depart for Australia to inaugurate her 2025 racing season. "Since I arrived at UAE, I've started a path of constant growth, my times have improved, as has my endurance, but cycling has also evolved. What once could guarantee a victory or an excellent placement on a climb is no longer enough, it's not even sufficient to enter the top ten. On one hand, it's stressful, but all this makes cycling an even more beautiful and challenging sport – Erica continues – in the team, I found a family, I realized this as soon as I arrived and over time I've carved out a role of respect both from the staff and the other girls. Due to my age and acquired experience, I feel I've become a point of reference for the girls, especially the younger ones, some on the team are even ten years younger than me. Many ask me questions, seek my advice, it's beautiful, it makes me proud because it's something I was doing just a few years ago, and I hope to continue being a reference point this season and in the seasons to come." The calendar is not yet defined, but after the Australian stint, 2025 should be roughly a copy of 2024, with a preference for stage races over northern classics. There will likely be the Spanish block with Volta Valenciana, Vuelta, and perhaps the Giro. Erica's goal is to make her mark, perhaps in a stage of a grand tour, but not only that. The athlete from Cuneo also thinks about what will happen in a few months, not hiding her little dream. "It would be wonderful to wear the blue jersey at the World Championships again; in 2025 they will be held in Rwanda and apparently the course will be particularly tough. If things remain this way, Elisa Longo Borghini will be our captain, and if this season I manage to refine my domestique role well, we could aim for something big. It would be a super duet, a fantastic adventure that I would be extremely proud of."