Elisa Balsamo
Elisa Balsamo (born 27 February 1998 in Cuneo, Italy) is an Italian sprinter racing for Lidl–Trek. A former World Champion on the road (2021), she combines top-end speed with a strong track background. Balsamo has won stages in the Giro Donne, Vuelta España Feminina and classics like Gent–Wevelgem and probably more to come. Find Elisa Balsamo’s latest results, stats and race calendar on this page.
Biography of pro cyclist Elisa Balsamo
Elisa Balsamo has grown from a junior prodigy and track medallist into one of the most reliable sprinters in the women's peloton. Her speed, racecraft and the strength of her Lidl–Trek lead-out make her a favourite whenever the road stays flat.
Crowned road World Champion at just 23, the Italian has backed up that rainbow jersey with victories in semi-classics and stages of the Giro d'Italia Women and La Vuelta Femenina. She is now a leader of the Italian sprinting scene and a key figure in her team's classics campaigns.
Early life and rise
Born in Cuneo in the Piedmont region, Balsamo tried several sports before settling on cycling, including skiing, biathlon and swimming. That broad athletic base helped build the engine that would later power her sprint.
Her breakthrough came on two fronts at once. On the road, she became junior World Champion in 2016, winning the road race in Doha in a bunch sprint. On the track, she collected European and World medals in the team pursuit and omnium, sharpening the speed and bike-handling that define her racing today. She turned professional with the Italian Valcar team, where she built a reputation as a winner before stepping up to the WorldTour.
World Championship in Leuven
Balsamo announced herself to the wider cycling world in 2021. At the Road World Championships in Leuven, she out-sprinted the legendary Marianne Vos to take the rainbow jersey — a career-defining moment for a rider still in her early twenties. The win confirmed that her junior and track success would translate to the very top of elite road racing.
Wearing the rainbow bands the following season, she joined Trek–Segafredo (now Lidl–Trek) and delivered straight away, winning Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Classic Brugge–De Panne in 2022 and adding the prestigious Gent–Wevelgem title.
Classics and Grand Tour stages
Balsamo has become a fixture on the spring classics podiums and a regular stage winner in the biggest races. She has won Trofeo Alfredo Binda three times (2022, 2024, 2025) and Classic Brugge–De Panne twice (2022, 2024), races tailor-made for her fast finish.
Her 2025 season showed her consistency: stage wins at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, another Binda victory and the Scheldeprijs, plus podium finishes at Gent–Wevelgem (2nd), Classic Brugge–De Panne and Dwars door Vlaanderen. She has also collected stage wins in the Giro d'Italia Women and La Vuelta Femenina, underlining her value when the sprinters get their chance in a Grand Tour.
Rider profile: strengths and style
Balsamo is a pure sprinter with the racecraft to survive harder, punchier finals than most fast finishers. Her track background gives her explosive top-end speed and the timing to find the right wheel in a chaotic bunch gallop. Backed by one of the strongest lead-out trains in the women's peloton, she is hard to beat once the road flattens and the pace lifts.
Records and milestones
- Road World Champion (2021)
- Junior World Champion (2016)
- 3× Trofeo Alfredo Binda (2022, 2024, 2025)
- 2× Classic Brugge–De Panne (2022, 2024)
- Gent–Wevelgem winner (2022)
- Scheldeprijs winner (2025)
- Stage wins in the Giro d'Italia Women and La Vuelta Femenina
- World and European track medals (team pursuit, omnium)
What's next for Elisa Balsamo?
With Lidl–Trek, Balsamo will keep targeting the cobbled semi-classics that suit her, more Grand Tour stage wins, and a return to the top step at the World Championships. Still in her prime, she remains Italy's leading sprinter and one of the riders to beat in any flat finish.
