Elisa Balsamo (born 27 February 1998) is an Italian road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's World Team Lidl–Trek,[3] and represents Italy at international competitions.
After competing at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships in the women's junior road race she became junior world champion at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in the junior's road race. She won the gold medal at the 2016 UEC European Track Championships in the team pursuit.[4]
Balsamo was born in Cuneo in 1998. Her father was an amateur cyclist. Before taking up cycling, she had competed in a number of skiing disciplines, as well as biathlon and swimming.[5]
Balsamo's first major win came at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha, where she won the Road Race in a bunch sprint ahead of Skylar Schneider.[6] She signed for Valcar–PBM for the 2017 season.[7] Her first professional win came at the Omloop van Borsele in April 2018,[8] followed by a win at the GP Bruno Beghelli later in the year.[9]
In 2019, Balsamo finished first in a bunch sprint at the Dwars door de Westhoek,[10] as well as stages at the Tour of California[11] and the Giro delle Marche in Rosa. In 2020, Balsamo won the final stage of the Madrid Challenge, overtaking Lorena Wiebes in the final 50 metres.[12]
Balsamo began the 2021 season with a win at the GP Oetingen.[13] She competed for Italy at the 2020 Summer Olympics; whilst she broke the Italian record as part of the team pursuit, she finished in 8th position in the madison and outside the Top 10 in the omnium.[14] After a period of stage racing in Spain and The Netherlands, during which she finished second in the Grand Prix d'Isbergues,[5] she was selected as part of the Italian team for the UCI Road World Championships. After a number of attempts by the Dutch team to break away from the group, Balsamo won the bunch sprint from the remaining group of around 25 riders, ahead of Marianne Vos.[15] Her first win as World Champion came at The Women's Tour, in which she won the final stage.[16]
Scratch, UCI World Junior Championships
Team pursuit, UEC European Junior Championships
Team pursuit, National Junior Championships
Team pursuit, UEC European Championships Omnium Team pursuit Omnium Team pursuit Scratch, National Junior Championships
Team pursuit, UCI World Cup, Glasgow Team pursuit Omnium Team pursuit
Team pursuit
Individual pursuit Madison (with Maria Giulia Confalonieri) Team pursuit Madison, National Championships Team pursuit, UEC European Championships Team pursuit, UCI World Championships Team pursuit, UCI World Championships Road race, UCI World Junior Championships Road race, National Junior Championships
Road race, UEC European Junior Championships
Sprints classification, Giro della Toscana Road race, UEC European Under-23 Championships Road race, UCI World Championships Road race, National Championships Road race, UEC European Championships| Classic | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | — | — | — | — | 19 | 4 | 61 |
| Strade Bianche Donne | 76 | — | — | 33 | 55 | 45 | 31 |
| Ronde van Drenthe | — | 25 | DNF | NH | — | 2 | 4 |
| Trofeo Alfredo Binda | 35 | 11 | 42 | 7 | 1 | 2 | |
| Gent–Wevelgem | — | 54 | 9 | — | DNF | 1 | |
| Tour of Flanders | — | 74 | DNF | — | 15 | 28 | |
| Paris–Roubaix | Race did not exist | NH | 57 | DSQ | |||
| Amstel Gold Race | — | 38 | 10 | 49 | 8 | ||
| La Flèche Wallonne | — | 38 | 54 | 46 | — | — | |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | DNF | 83 | 38 | — | — | |
| GP de Plouay | — | — | 15 | DNF | — | — | |
| Open de Suède Vårgårda | — | 19 | — | Not held | — | ||
