Athletes from five continents are expected at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships (September 15-18). Kersti Kaljulaid, the former president of Estonia, will also be at the start, competing for the Gran Fondo rainbow jersey in the category Women 3.
In view of the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, which will take place in Trento from September 15th to the 18th, the Trentino city is preparing to host athletes, friends, and fans from all over the globe. Qualified riders will be battling it out on city and mountain routes and facing the toughest challenge of all – Monte Bondone, the site of many memorable feats in pro road cycling. This event has been made possible thanks to the synergy between the Trento Monte Bondone Tourist Board and Trento Eventi Sport.
Five continents with competitors from fifty-six nations will be represented at the international event, and this number is expected to increase in the final days leading up to the start of the world championships. The countries with the most participants are the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Italy, and Germany, which are nations with a historical affinity for two wheels. Expect to spot jerseys from a number of other countries, including Brazil, Japan, Australia, Mongolia, Zimbabwe, and Estonia, among the nearly 2,000 anticipated participants (registration closes on Sunday, September 11th, at midnight).
It’s under the colors of the Baltic nation that Kersti Kaljulaid, the first woman in history to hold the Estonian presidency, from 2016 to 2021, will be competing in Trento for the first time at a granfondo world championship in the category of Women 3. The former president qualified for worlds thanks to her category victory in the Tartu Rattaralli Marathon, held last June in the namesake Estonian town.
Kersti Kaljulaid is known by most people for her public role, but only a few know that she is also an enthusiastic sportswoman, who, although she says she doesn’t like to compete, always manages to distinguish herself by her excellent performances at every sport event she takes part in.
“I never thought I would one day succeed in qualifying for a world event of this magnitude, I can’t wait to find out what it means to compete for a rainbow jersey. I still have a lot of experience to gain however,” said the former president.
Her passion for sport isn’t only limited to road cycling but includes mountain biking, running, and cross-country skiing. Not only did she participate in this year’s Etape du Tour de France, but she also took part in the Bosch Cup and the Estonian Cup, both of which are mountain bike events. She ran the New York Marathon in 2018 and placed 15,394 out of more than 50,000 runners, and she has participated in numerous ski marathon in her home country. The former president is a leading promoter of women’s sport in all age groups, from the youngest to the oldest, and in long-distance competitions where women still struggle to find their niche, although there’s been lots of progress in recent years.
The route designed for the granfondo world championships is comparable to a stage of the Tour de France in terms of difficulty. This aspect isn’t sounding the alarms for competitors however, on the contrary, it is motive to test one’s own strengths.
“I’m looking forward to this challenge, I feel that this could be my chance to push myself a little bit beyond my limits and not just finish the race,” added Kersti Kaljulaid, who together with other competitors from all corners of the world is preparing for the competition.
“My strategy? Since my age group is one of the last at the start, during the race’s first phase I will stay in the back to warm up and then I will try to move up to the front of the group,” said the Estonian politician, while reminding us not to forget that “we are still amateurs, and we are allowed to have fun!”
Trento, September 9, 2022
