"I fell in love with Ivan Basso at the age of six when he was winning the Giro d’Italia" - deaf pro cyclist Francesca Baroni about her cycling roots
Cycling
Francesca Baroni is like any other rider in that she has her hopes, ambitions and determination, but in one way she is unusual. The 23-year-old from Italy is deaf. A rising multidiscipline star, she competes on the road, and in cyclocross, Baroni herself claims she is not restricted by her deafness when she races.
"My problem does not affect me much, only in some particular moments. For example in cross I need the start with the traffic light or the manual start with a flag or with one hand, not hearing the judge’s whistle," Baroni told Velo in an interview. "While, in road races, I can’t use the radio but luckily we always find a solution, we just need a few small precautions before and during the race."
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"Luckily, I’ve never had problems with other people. I just need them to speak in front of me because I read lips. To communicate from afar, I can’t talk on the phone, but fortunately, there are messages and emails, so no problem."
"I got to know cycling on television, and I fell in love with Ivan Basso at the age of six when he was winning the Giro d’Italia. I immediately asked my parents if women’s cycling also existed, then I tried with a local team and from here it all started," Baroni explains how she got to love cycling.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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