Alé BTC Ljubljana closes project with best season ever
Nov 09 2021 09:00 am CET
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Alé BTC Ljubljana has finished the 2021 season, the last one of its history, with the best results ever.
The Italian team, which will be part of a new project branded Team UAE in 2022, closed the current season with a total of 20 victories, 17 at the UCI level. Among those results are the gold medal in the time trial of the European championships, and the silver medals in the same discipline at the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020 and the Road World Championships of Flanders 2021, all of them by the Swiss rider Marlen Reusser.
"As a woman, as a manager and as a cycling enthusiast, I have always believed in the potential of women's cycling and we can proudly say that we were among the first to believe in this movement and to create an exclusively female professional team," said Ale BTC Ljubljana's president Alessia Piccolo. "Over the years we've grown a lot, we've had some great satisfaction and I think we've made a big contribution to the growth of the sport and the image of this movement in Italy and around the world. I have to thank all the girls who have worn and honoured the jersey of our team during these eleven seasons. Thanks to our Slovenian friends from BTC Ljubjana who in recent years have shared a piece of our journey with us. I have to say a big thank you to all the staff members who have put in a lot of effort and with their professionalism have supported the activities of our girls in the best possible way.
"A special thanks goes to Fortunato Lacquaniti who, over the past seven years, as team manager has made a great contribution to the growth of our team. Despite the many difficulties dictated also by the complicated health situation that we have experienced in the last two years, our girls have always managed to be protagonists, to do themselves credit and to bring us to the top of the world rankings. This year we were able to achieve a great dream: the Olympic medal won by Marlen Reusser. We are closing an important chapter in our lives and passing the buck. I believe today, together with my staff, that I have done something very important. Above all, this new step is an act of love and responsibility towards the girls and the entire women's movement, which is growing by leaps and bounds. With this agreement with UAE, we can guarantee continuity to a project that is very close to our hearts."
