Cycling - A star of two wheels. Sichi wins the "Gran Fondo del Po"

Kelly Sichi, from the Lucca company Cycling Zerosei, first overall at the Gran Fondo di ciclista del Po, with start and finish in Ferrara. The athlete from Lucca, with Francesco Banti and Giacomo Nomellini, participated with the intention of bringing home a good result; and all three succeeded: Kelly Sichi, with the help of her domestique Nomellini, ranked first overall among the women in the 140-kilometer long course, at an average speed of 42 per hour. They managed to always stay in the first group, even though the average, after 60 kilometers, was 46 per hour. But Sichi gritted her teeth, helped by her domestique who gave her all the support she needed.

Unfortunately, there was a setback: due to a chain slip at about the ninetieth kilometer, they were caught by a group of opponents, which included, among others, a Venezuelan ex-professional athlete.

At that point the fight became very tough for the rest of the race, but at the finish, the sprint rewarded the girl from Lucca. While Francesco Banti, who opted for the medium route, was caught after about 40 kilometers of escape and, at the sprint finish, was classified in twenty-sixth position.

"The Cycling Zerosei company expresses satisfaction and thanks for the victory obtained also with the work of Giacomo Nomellini (who was moved at the end of the race) and for the preparation for the Banti race - says the president Mauro Madrigali - which made the girl make a leap in quality in training her day after day. The company thanks all the sponsors who allow us to carry on this sport and to be able to compete throughout Italy".

The club, at the end of 2023, was also received in the Municipality of Capannori. Zerosei Cycling Team, in fact, is a cycling club that has been operating in the Capannori area since 2006. There has always been a large participation: today it has about 70 members between men and women. The team is involved in the cycling season in Tuscan competitions, such as circuits and granfondo, but also national ones.

Many important results have been achieved by the Zerosei Cycling team, including a victory in 2011 at the Maratona delle Dolomiti. The Lithuanian Raimond Rumsas, a former professional, who won a Giro di Lombardia and has a third place in the Tour de France in 2002, also rode with the team of President Madrigali.

Massimo Stefanini