Interview Alice Maria Arzuffi

5 times Italian vice-champion, winner of 2 Superprestige races and regular competitor on the worldchampionships. Alice Maria Arzuffi has a lot of experience in cyclocross despite that she's still only 26 years old. She doens't know only the world of mud and sand. Road cycling is not unknown for her as well. She took part in some of the biggest road races including the Giro d'Italia. The Italian rider from the 777 Team is a good talker and has many interesting experiences to share. That leaded to this interview.

 

 

5 times Italian vice-champion, how many of your medals would you like to trade to become Italian champion for a year?

At least the last 3 ;). The first two years I was still young compared to the experienced Eva, but then I think the National championship was always on my reach. Some years the courses didn’t suit me super well and last year I was a bit unlucky because I got the tracheobronchitis.

 

You'll be one of the leaders for the Italian team at the worlchampionships in Ostend. What are your ambitions on sandy parcours?

I am curious to see how the course is exactly, but for sure we’ll not miss the sand. At the moment I like the races with sand, even if few years ago I was hating all of them. Racing in Belgium so much helped me a lot to improve my sand skills, even if there are some riders that are better than me.

 

You've won races of the Superprestige series already. How do you look back at them and at what kind of parcours would suit you for another great result?  

I proudly look back to the wins that I got during the past years, especially the first big win in Gavere. The races that I prefer most are the hilly and muddy ones. 

 

You took part in some of the biggest races on the road. Do you also have ambitions in road cycling? 

 During the last years I was concentrated much more in cyclocross, then in the road, even if I still could take part at the biggest races of the calendar. At the moment cyclocross is what I am privileging for the most, but in the future I really would like to give a chance to my self in races like the spring classics.

 

Which impact did the corona pandemic have on your preparation for the cyclocross season? 

I felt really difficult to come back to the normal training on the road after the lock down, because in Italy we were forced to train only inside for 2 months. After the 2019/20 cx season I had a break of 3 weeks without bike and I had to start again the basic training on the rollers. For sure that wasn’t the best preparation for the base training. I also couldn’t race on the road as much as I was used to race during the past years, because the season started later and so I missed the speed when I started the CX season.

 

 

You grew up in a country that had a few of the best cyclists in the world. Did you grew up in a family that told you a million stories about Coppi and Bartali or did you discover the sport yourself?

Even if I am coming from one of the biggest country for cycling, in my family cycling wasn’t really present. The first sport that I have done were swimming, dancing and a bit of basketball. Later on, when I was 11, my cousin Maria Giulia Confalonieri (she one year older than me) decided to start with cycling and so I followed her.

 

Do you miss the spectators at the race?

Yes, I do!!! I really hope that we can come back to the normal racing by the start of the next cx season.

 

 

What is for you the hardest part about cyclocross? And what do you enjoy the most?

The hardest part is keeping to do efforts when the results are coming. As you know, the cyclist’s life is beautiful, but at the same time it needs a lot of dedication. The things that I enjoy the most are for sure the winning, but also the sense of fulfillment when I reach my goals. Then, I also think that cycling teaches us every day with small lessons that we need in the normal life. 

Thank you for the interview, Alice!