More and more Balsamo: new contract through 2026

Trek-Segafredo agree a contract extension with the Italian Champion

Trek-Segafredo and Elisa Balsamo have agreed a long-term contract extension which will see the Italian champion race for the USA-registered Team through 2026, by which time Elisa will have spent five seasons racing for Trek-Segafredo. The agreement was proposed by the Team already in 2022 and enthusiastically welcomed by Elisa at the end of an exciting year.

We've got something even better for you than a fluffy unicorn 🦄 this #ValentinesDay 🫶 pic.twitter.com/8sOpoploMo

— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) February 14, 2023

Elisa looking to her Trek Madone (©SamNeedham)

Luca Guercilena, Trek-Segafredo General Manager

“It would be reductive to think that we proposed the extension only because of her results, Elisa brought a lot more to the Team. Enthusiasm, charisma, determination, team spirit; always with a proactive approach. These are the qualities that made her an all-round leader in such a short time. When we signed the first contract, before her victory at the World Championships in Leuven, she was a well-known promising talent. One year later, we are now talking about one of the strongest riders on the scene. And the best, in our opinion, is yet to come.”

Lots of love for unicorn! (©Trek)

Elisa Balsamo

"The bond that has been created between me and this Team is great, almost unique. We have such a deep relationship that, a few days ago, while I was racing the European Champs on track, I had goosebumps following Elisa [Longo Borghini] and Gaia [Realini] triumphing at UAE Tour. I wasn't there, but the sense of belonging to this group made me excited as if I were there pedaling with them. This fact perfectly illustrates how important this Team is to me."

"2022 was an unforgettable year, but there is a story that is yet to be written. I have many goals in my head and with the Team we share the same ambition. Luca and Ina, jokingly, threw me the challenge of becoming a collector of Classics... needless to say, challenge accepted."

Elisa will turn 25 in almost two weeks. In addition to her road successes, she will reach also the important personal milestone of graduating at the University of Turin with a degree in Modern Literature in early April.

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Director of the Trek-Segafredo women’s team

"In 2021 we were excited to have signed her, but after having seen her in action, how she works in training and how she applies herself in the race, her relationship with teammates and within the peloton, her performance has gone far beyond the best expectations. She honored the World Champion's jersey as only a few were able to. She handled the pressure and expectations with impressive results. She is a special rider, one that a team director would always want to work with. I'm really excited when I think about what’s coming."

Elisa’s 2023 season will begin in a few days at the Setmana Valenciana, the same race in which she made a winning debut in 2022. This will be followed by her first taste of the North at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, then Strade Bianche and Trofeo Binda with number 1 on her back. Then, the hunt for the Classics will continue: Gent-Wevelgem (as defending champion), Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold Race. In the larger stage races, Elisa will be competing at the Women’s Tour and Tour de France Femmes where, in her words, “there is a score to settle.”