Signs two-year contract

Italian young prospect -will turn 22 next Tuesday-, winner of the 2018 UCI WorldTour under-23 classification, joins Telefónica-backed squad adding her excellent potential for all kinds of races.

The Movistar Team announced Thursday it has reached an agreement with Sofia Bertizzolo (Bassano del Grappa, ITA; 1997) for the next two seasons (2020 + 2021), which marks the Telefónica-backed squad’s fourth signing for next season after the confirmed additions of Jelena Erić, Barbara Guarischi and Katrine Aalerud.

The squad managed by Sebastián Unzué and Jorge Sanz will strongly rely on Bertizzolo’s talents as one of the biggest prospects in the peloton. Winner of the under-23 classification of the UCI Women’s WorldTour in 2018, the young Italian from Team Virtu is able to perform well in almost every single scenario.

4th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen (2019), 2nd at a sprint finish in the Bira (2019), 8th in the Flèche Wallonne (2018) and a top-20 overall + best young rider in the Giro Rosa (2018), Bertizzolo’s all-rounding capabilities will be a huge asset for the Blues as of next January.

“Sofia’s signing was a priority for us coming into next season,” explains Sebastián Unzué, manager for the women’s Movistar Team. “It’s a really exciting addition for us, with an enormous margin for progression, arguably one of the biggest up-and-coming talents in the sport. Able to perform strongly at races as different as De Ronde, the Ardennes, sprint finishes, becoming the best young rider in the Giro at just 20 – those are impressive results for her age, and we’re so proud to have talents like her with us next season. We just hope she continues to learn, grow and improve, so we can do great things together in the future.”

Cover picture (c): Velofocus