National champion Sara Casasola spearheads the popularity boom of cyclocross in Italy: "Something is changing"

Sara Casasola breezed through the Italian cyclocross Championships with utter ease, proving why is she perhaps the best non-Benelux female cyclocrosser at the moment. However the approach to the race was anything but straightforward for the 26-year-old. Since the European Championships where she unfortunately fell out of medal contention, her participations were rather sporadic. In fact, she raced only four times over the last two months. But her health seems to have turned to better again at National Championships, offering a ray of hope towards the World Championships at the end of January.

"It wasn't a very easy approach, I was starting and stopping practically every other week, but fortunately I had a good training base, so that still helped me stay in the race," Casasola reflected for Tuttobici. After a one-year break, this is a second Italian title for the mathematician.

It was a fully composed ride from Casasola, although rather than the result, the focus was on the performance itself. "I wanted to test myself especially in terms of race pace, which is actually the area I was lacking the most. Right after the start, I wasn't in the top positions precisely because I lacked that intensity, and I preferred not to overdo it and burn out right away," she explans.

"I did a bit of flex, letting my opponents let off steam, and then I tried to tackle the entire technical section of the course at my own pace. As soon as I realized I had a bit of an advantage, I tried to stay consistent until the end. It's a special Italian title, it gave me the chance to get going and, above all, it gave me a great boost." And her dominance turned out to be nothing short of impressive, finishing with an advantage of over a minute to her closest competitors.

Yet despite her status of a regular podium contender and one of the female cyclocross stars, Casasola still struggles to gain the deserved recognition in her home land Italy. Much contrary to her fame in Belgium, where she represents the Belgian formation Crelan-Corendon:

"Belgium is the home of cyclocross, what happens during the races is indescribable, the crowd cheers like crazy, and especially when they see a foreigner battling it out front, they literally go crazy. I've seen signs with my name on them several times, and it really moved me. I'm thousands of kilometers away from home, and you don't expect to find something like that, but that's how they are."

She continues: "Unfortunately, cyclocross isn't as popular in Italy, but I see that something is changing. In Brugherio, there were many fans and friends, and even the media is starting to talk about us, we're being given space, and it's really wonderful. Belgium is the temple of cyclocross, but Italy is special." Much thanks to Casasola herself.

It would be unfair to forget to mention that Casasola is more than just a renowned cyclocrosser. During the year, she also competes on road for Crelan's parent team Fenix-Premier Tech. And the Italian is far from mediocre, as evidenced by her 15th place at the Giro d'Italia past summer. And since this was only her debut at professional level on road, we can look forward to even more in 2026.

"I feel like cyclocross racing is giving me a lot for the road too, but cyclocross is much more fun; it's not the same," Casasola makes it clear where heart leads her. "For me, it's more than a passion, and I'll continue doing it as long as I can. Giving up to switch to the road isn't an option for me, and I'm happy that the team is the first to support all of this."