Letizia Borghesi
Hometown
Cles, Trento, Italy
Birthdate
16 October 1998
Languages
Italian and English
Nickname
Borghe, Leti
Letizia Borghesi has been racing bikes for half her life. The 24-year-old pinned on her first number when she was 12. After hearing stories from her dad about his wins as a U23 racer, she thought to herself, “I could do that,” and she took up cycling. While injuries prevented her dad from turning professional, Letizia has achieved what he was unable to. Her family is very supportive of her athletic career and she says that growing up in an active household helped her to develop a strong sports mentality. You can often find Letizia’s parents at the races, having driven from their home in northern Italy to support their daughter.
In 2022, her first season with EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, Letizia earned a pair of top ten finishes in the spring classics and gained plenty of experience racing at the WorldTour level. This season, her palmarès includes a string of top ten finishes. She raced the Giro d’Italia Donne this year where she was an important teammate in supporting Veronica to the team’s best GC result at a WorldTour stage race. Letizia’s stage win at the 2019 Giro her biggest result to date. It came down to a head-to-head sprint after spending the day in the breakaway and Letizia managed to pull off the win just on the finish line.
Growing up in the mountains of northern Italy, Letizia is happiest when she is outside. She adores her home region of Trentino and you can often find her hiking to nearby lakes when she’s not training on the road. She earned the silver medal in the 2022 Italian gravel national championships, her first ever gravel race. In the off season, Letizia enjoys competing in the local cyclocross races. Given her experience in cyclocross, it’s not a surprise that her favorite races are the cobbled classics because she loves the steep climbs and is used to the harsh weather conditions.
Letizia completed her bachelor’s degree in sports science and she is currently studying for her master’s degree in biology/nutrition.
Get to know Letizia
What is your favorite training session?
Interval training on a hilly circuit
What is your favorite climb?
The climb to Lake Tovel near my home in Italy
What's some of the best advice you've ever gotten?
To give always 100% in what I’m doing and to fight against myself (not others) to keep improving
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Pistachio
If you weren’t a professional cyclist, what would you be ?
I think I would work in a scientific field. I really like math, physics, and biology.