Edoardo Alleva: “It remains to be seen in the future what kind of rider I can really be”

The rider from Borgomadero is another of the new faces of the U23 structure of the Contador Foundation, a formation in which he faces the jump from the youth category to the amateur field. The Piedmontese cyclist is in love with his ‘paese’ and enjoys his training around the Lago d’Orta or the nearby ascent of Mottarone, a classic mountain pass in many races, with several possible slopes and the common point of being all longer than 16 km and with an average gradient of around 6%. A Mottarone that Alleva defines as his favourite climb.

“I’ve always considered myself to be a fairly complete cyclist, but it remains to be seen in the future what kind of rider I can really be. I can defend myself on the climbs, I can sprint and I’m not afraid to fight and fight for the breakaway,” says Alleva (23 February 2003) between a gentle bike ride and the start of an imminent gym session.

Alleva, who comes from Bustese Olonia where he has grown up and matured over the past few seasons, started cycling at the age of ten. His father, Mauro, had had some competitive experience, albeit in the amateur field, and his old bike rested in the garage at home. One day he tried it out and the sensations were incredible. “First, when I was ten years old, I was in the Bici Club 2000 in Borgomadero. I was there for two years. Then, also for two seasons, I competed with the Nuovi Orizzonti. And from there I moved on to Bustese Olona,” he explains.

“Arriving at the Contador Foundation is a unique opportunity. The mere possibility was exciting. It was like a dream. Dario Andriotto spoke to me back in July and explained the project to me and asked me what I thought. Obviously the answer was wonderful. I couldn’t refuse this offer. It’s a great opportunity to one day become a professional,” he recalls.

Alleva points to Primoz Roglic as his current favourite rider and also indicates that Paris-Tours, since adopting its new route with unpaved routes through vineyards back in 2018, is the race that appeals to him the most. “It’s very winding, no long climbs but very undulating. I find it a very fun race and very exciting.”

The younger of two brothers (the older one plays football), Alleva will face what will be his first year focused exclusively on cycling in 2022. He studied at the Istituto Tecnico Statale Leonardo da Vinci in his home town, in the mechanics branch (industrial technician), and then took on the ‘maturitá’. “The option to start studying at university is always there, but I want to take my time first,” he says. Alleva is aware of the difficulty and also of the dynamics of a cyclist who has fewer and fewer qualms about looking for young riders. “Everything is going very fast. Personally, I think that two years in the U23 category will never be bad, not at all”.