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Paris-Roubaix Femmes runner-up Katia Ragusa leads a trio of highly effective riders becoming a member of the Human Powered Health women’s squad for 2024. Fellow Italian Silvia Zanardi and younger Swiss climber Linda Zanetti additionally transfer for one-year contracts.
Ragusa made an announcement final 12 months together with her transfer in a 114km day-long breakaway at Paris-Roubaix to complete on the rostrum for Liv Racing TeqFind. The 26-year-old Italian has all-round abilities with eight years of expertise, having taken prime 10 outcomes at Branbantse Pijl, Giro dell’Emilia and Ladies’s Tour Down Underneath.
“I actually just like the Spring Classics and I’ve eyes on them. I’m an endurance rider. I do my finest on the finish of these classics and hilly races when the race is more durable,” she mentioned, the workforce desirous about utilizing her expertise to place two if their leaders, French Champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot and former US nationwide champion Ruth Edwards.
Zanardi brings a quick end to her first season on the WorldTour, having gained the European observe title within the Madison in 2022 and brought the dash classification at seven-stage Cycliste Féminin Worldwide de l’Ardèche this season. In 5 seasons with Bepink, she additionally has two stage wins and 4 podiums on the l’Ardèche race, a stage win at Tour Féminin des Pyrénées and GP della Liberazionne.
She proved formidable on stage 4 at Tour Feminin l’Ardeche with the victory from a breakaway effort, which put her within the GC lead for in the future.
The youngest of the trio is Zanetti at simply 21, and as a climber she has confirmed she will be able to transition from mountain biking to highway racing. In simply her second professional season in 2023, she gained 5 races with the UAE Growth Workforce, together with Omloop van Borsele, a stage at Tour de l’Avenir and the Swiss U23 ladies’s highway title.
Kenny Latomme, efficiency director for Human Powered Well being, referred to as her “a diamond within the making“.
“She is a winner who does effectively on many sorts of parcours, so it’s a 12 months the place we are able to discover the whole lot together with her and discover her finest qualities. It’s a improvement that I imagine might go quick,” Latomme mentioned about Zanetti.
“Silvia isn’t a pure sprinter, however a quick finisher after a troublesome race. She is all the time racing for prime tens and I’m excited to see how she adapts to the WorldTour.
“[Ragusa] will probably be essential to convey the climbers into place throughout stage races. If a rider can do effectively in cobblestone classics, then they’re a fighter who can convey your chief into place in a GC battle.”
The three signings brings the roster to 9 riders, up to now, for Human Powered Well being, which final 12 months had 16 riders who helped the ladies’s squad end 14th within the UCI World rankings.
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