Italian rising star Valentina Corvi was an April 2025 addition to the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation team roster. Already part of Canyon’s elite off-road division, Canyon CLLCTV MTB, the 20-year-old joined Generation to broaden her cycling repertoire and incorporate road racing.

“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.

In 2025, she had her best season yet on knobbly tires, claiming overall victory in the U23 UCI Cross-Country World Cup series after no less than 12 World Cup podiums across short-track and cross-country. She was crowned U23 XC European Champion and scored a bronze medal in the same discipline at the World Championships. Remarkably, her first-ever World Cup victory came just six weeks after her first-ever road race, a debut that didn’t go as planned, ending horribly with a heavy crash and a broken collarbone.

Undeterred, Valentina impressed on the road at the Italian National Road Championships alongside WorldTeam riders Soraya Paladin and Chiara Consonni, and remained eager to keep exploring road racing in 2026:

“I find this discipline really fascinating because it gives you the chance to develop lots of skills and qualities that you don’t get with mountain biking. I really like how race tactics are fundamental, as is the ability to think and manage different situations. In addition, road definitely offers many physical benefits and helps to perfect fitness, even with important mountain biking events on the horizon. Next season, I hope to improve my skills when working in a group and to better manage tense situations during races. I also want to learn how to ride with others in mind and to collaborate effectively with the team so we can all improve together. Finally, I would like to learn how to better manage the physical efforts on road, which are quite different from on mountain biking.”

When Valentina isn’t racing for Canyon CLLCTV MTB, or 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.

We’re all excited to see how far Valentina can go on skinnier tyres!