
We met Antonello Della Corte in Siena, the communications manager of Team Mendelspeck E-work, the team with which Sara Piffer, the young woman from Trentino who died last January after being hit by a car while training, used to ride. "Sara is, and will forever remain, in our hearts," Della Corte said. "To always carry her with us, we thought of this logo with a heart and Sara's name to be placed on our jerseys, which will be printed every year."
Today is a special day for women, not a celebration as many believe, but a day of remembrance and reflection for all women who are victims and have fought to defend their rights. Sara was a happy girl who was good at cycling, racing towards a life that should have given her so much. But that was not the case, and Sara Piffer became one of those victims who left her life on the asphalt. "Today, March 8th is an important day for women, and for us who have lost Sara and have a women's team, it has an even more significant value. That's why we decided to debut this logo dedicated to Sara on our jerseys today."
The young woman from Trentino had made her World Tour debut last year at Strade Bianche, and although it didn't go as she had hoped, she wanted to return to these roads to do better. "I perfectly remember Sara's emotion when she participated in Strade Bianche last year. It was her first important race, and her eyes were sparkling. Then in the end, it didn't go well, and she was angry. I remember her words. She told me she was disappointed because she wanted to do well and that next time she would come to Siena to complete the race and fight at the front."
Sara Piffer will not be physically with her Team Mendelspeck E-work teammates on her bike today, but we all know that she will be the one to win today. "It would have been nice to have Sara with us today, but we all know that in some way, she is here. We know that ideally, she will be the one to cross the finish line first in this race she loved so much. Sara will win the race today, and we will embrace her in our hearts after the finish line."
Sara Piffer will also be at Strade Bianche, a race that the Trentino athlete, who tragically passed away last January 24th, always loved. This year, she will accompany the Team Mendelspeck E-work in a very special way, like a seventh athlete racing alongside her teammates through the Sienese hills. For the occasion, Renato Pirrone's team has decided to place a white-background heart with the inscription "Sara" on their jerseys.
A seemingly simple symbol that is actually a special way to remember the young woman from Trentino who will always remain in the hearts of those who knew her. Last year, Sara had started her season precisely at Strade Bianche, a magical race she had always dreamed of participating in. "I had the opportunity to race with the strongest athletes in the World Tour and stand alongside the stars of women's cycling. A dream come true, great emotions, few words to describe this moment: simply FANTASTIC" she had written on social media, not hiding her great emotion.
Today at the start in Siena, in addition to the 143 registered athletes, Sara will also be there, perhaps seemingly a bit more in the background than the others, but always present in everyone's heart. And we are sure that from up there, she has already found a way to follow the battle in Strade Bianche and accompany her teammates.