A BOLD NEW ADDITION TO CANYON//SRAM ZONDACRYPTO GENERATION

CANYON//SRAM Zondacrypto Generation is proud to introduce Italian off-road rising star Valentina Corvi as the newest addition to its roster. The 20-year-old will join the team in 2025 as she broadens her cycling repertoire to include road racing.

Valentina is already part of Canyon’s elite off-road division, racing for Canyon CLLCTV MTB in both cyclo-cross and mountain bike, and has shown rapid and impressive development. She is the reigning Italian U23 National Champion in both cross-country MTB and cyclo-cross, and placed fourth in the U23 cross-country event at the 2024 UCI MTB World Championships.

Now in her second year out of the junior categories, Valentina has started the 2025 season in strong form, claiming two victories at UCI Continental MTB Series events. Most recently, she achieved career-best results at the UCI MTB World Cup rounds in Araxá, Brazil, where she secured three podium finishes across the U23 short track and cross-country events. She is thrilled to now be incorporating road racing into her season.

“For me, it is a great satisfaction to be joining CANYON//SRAM Zondacrypto Generation – it is one of the most prestigious teams, and being part of it is like a dream come true. My experience on the road is very limited, and I’ve only did a few races when I was younger, but I will definitely try to learn a lot, and I will do my best. I have always been attracted to this new world, and so, this year, having had the opportunity, I decided to include it in my seasonal programme alongside mountain biking, which remains my main discipline.”

She is unsure how her CX and MTB skills will assist her transition to road racing, but doesn’t have to look far for inspiration, as an increasing number of athletes are balancing similar pursuits.

“I think they are two completely different things, but in some ways, they can help each other. Surely, the technical skills I’ve gained from MTB will help me manage the bike on the road, while road racing will benefit me and complete my athletic preparation. I think they are quite complementary. The athlete of reference for me is definitely Puck Pieterse, who excels in both MTB and on the road!”

One of the key differences between MTB/CX and road racing is the strategic approach – an area that Valentina is both curious about and eager to develop.

“What I love about road racing is the tactics and reading of the race. Everything is very unpredictable, and you need to think a lot. The teamwork, too, and sharing victories and/or defeats with your teammates is something very beautiful and new to me, since in MTB, everything is more individual.”

CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Head of Sport, Adam Szabó, describes how the signing of Valentina materialised, and shares his early impressions of the young Italian’s showing.

“Valentina was with us at the Portugal training camp in December because she is also part of Canyon CLLCTV MTB, and we’ve actually been wanting to establish a deeper connection between the mountain bike team and our road team. It’s a good match because Valentina and her coach also want to explore some road racing. We’re also keen to see her racing on the road, since we’ve already had a good experience with her in Portugal, where we saw her riding and producing good numbers in the training sessions.”

“She excels in climbing, so she will naturally be a climber from the outset, but I’m looking forward to seeing her abilities in the bunch as well. We’ll likely work to develop those skills with the aim of making her a truly multidisciplinary rider in the future.”

CANYON//SRAM Zondacrypto Generation Sports Director, Gosia Jasinska, is equally excited about the prospect of having a fresh face join the Generation squad.

“It’s always good to have a new person on the team because she can bring new experiences from mountain biking, give us fresh energy, and help create new plans. The girls already know her from Portugal, so it’s not like she’s completely new to the team. They’ve gotten to know each other, and I think her acclimatisation will be fast. She’s a very nice person, and I think she’ll be a good team player. I think we’ll be able to try out some good moves with her in the first races. These events will be more of a classics style, and might not be 100% suited to her, because we know she’ll be very strong in the climbs, but I think it’s a good opportunity for her to show her potential on the road.”

When Valentina isn’t racing for Canyon CLLCTV MTB, or from now representing CANYON//SRAM Zondacrypto Generation, she enjoys unwinding with friends and family, embracing the moments of downtime between her intense and diverse training and racing schedule.