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Laura Rossin: "We have to differentiate the Enduro races"

Interview with Laura Rossin, 3 times Italian Enduro champion, about her past, future and about the enduro world in general.

Laura Rossin 2021 soul cycles
Laura Rossin

Laura Rossin, winner of the Superenduro 2013, is one of the athletes who has been involved with enduro since its inception. She was born in Imperia, class of '91, she has in her palmares 3 Italian titles and two overall victories in the Superenduro circuit. Since 2017 she has managed, together with her partner Giovanni D'Aroma (another excellent enduro rider), the shop Soul Cycles in Finale Ligure. This year she returned to racing after taking a year off due to motherhood in 2021. Let's get to know her better.

How and when did you approach MTB?

After 10 years of racing on the road I needed to change the air and think about having a little more fun, I saw in MTB a fair compromise between fatigue and fun. After 2 years of XC racing (Amateur), a dear friend of mine who did Enduro races took me for a day of Shuttle in San Romolo (not exactly the best place for a beginner: I only had my xc bike and after quite a busy day he lent me his enduro bike to make a descent (totally oversized) I naturally took a lot of hits on the ground but from that day there I realized that that was the right way. About 4 months later I did my first Enduro race: Superenduro Coggiola 2012 where I finished second.

Laura Rossin Coggiola 2012
Laura Rossin's first race in Coggiola in 2012: 2-finger braking and full down! - © Superenduromtb.com

How was your passion for enduro born?

Honestly, until that day I didn't even know that it existed as a discipline, I would say that the passion was born thanks to the group of “enduro friends” who literally infected and helped me. Without them, I probably wouldn't have made a single race. I loved the light spirit of that environment (naturally for me who came from the rigid world of the street and a particularly difficult period of my life) and then let's say that I had enough reach for it. The fact is that after doing the first race I never stopped.

In the past you have achieved excellent results at the national level. Now as a new mother you have thrown yourself back into the fray: do you feel you can still reach important goals in the near future? Did you set yourself any particular goals?

Throwing back into the fray was absolutely in my plans, I knew it would not be easy and in fact it was not, but I must say that I have never felt so motivated in my life, I feel very matured and I have achieved serenity and stability mental that I've been waiting for a long time. Until now, for various reasons, I have never reached my athletic limit so absolutely my next goal will be to "see how far I can go" even in the international field now that I am mentally, economically and physically in place.

Satisfied with your Trophy of Nations? You were with 2 very charged girls like Nadine Ellecosta and Gloria Scarsi.

Considering the various mechanical problems and crashes that accompanied us in the very long first stage, I think fourth place is an absolutely satisfactory result: we were aware that we had what it takes to get on the podium, but the other girls were really fast. I am happy to have competed with Gloria and Nadine, we have been united and energized for the whole weekend, a wonderful experience!

Marco Tagliaferri's article caused discussion, was there a point where you found yourself in disagreement?

(Editor's note, link to Marco Tagliaferri's article) - Marco has made a fair and objective analysis of the current situation, to date no Italian Enduro rider is permanently in the top20 in the EWS and there are no U21s in the standings. Unlike the girls who, on the other hand, are growing up a lot. It's true. But it is inevitable that when it comes to disinterest, or refers to a certain inability, someone feels drawn into question: I myself felt touched. I'm not saying that if in the last few years I could have done all the EWS with some kind of support and a salary I would have won, but I haven't even had a chance to try.

Like so many other guys. The level is so high that you cannot think of being able to compete by showing up at the last moment, without a support team, and with the anxiety of not getting hurt because on Monday you will have to go back to work. Those who do it anyway "with hope in God" are heroes: rich or reckless heroes. As I said earlier, to have good performance there must be a certain stability, physical, mental and above all economic, which I reached at 31 (a little late) and working hard. To my knowledge, no Italian Team has ever had the money to create a team of salaried professionals and take them around the world with mechanics and masseurs. There may also be phenomena that do everything by themselves sleeping in a tent, but can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Almost everyone in front is in a well-organized team, they leave nothing to chance and are salaried. Immediately behind we find the Italians.

... and instead some point where you found yourself in agreement?

It is also true from what I deduced from Marco's words that there are also talented characters who are content to win the country's race by posing as phenomena. Like others who barely finish the races in the country. They are the same ones who have hitherto prevented the famous push necessary for the growth of the movement. Differentiating races for weekend warriors from those for aspiring professionals is absolutely necessary, which is what we are trying to do, in order to please everyone and not deny the fun to anyone. Even more important, rightly, to focus on the little ones taking inspiration from other disciplines without worrying too much about the playful aspect. Children must have fun but the right dose of competition at 7-8 years old is not detrimental, just teach them that you are only opponents in the race and not in life. Which we adults have forgotten.

As an athlete, do you think the Enduro is in a good state of health?

Globally yes, just note the huge step forward that the Enduro World Series has made. And the many athletes (non-Italians) who support the family by doing Enduro. At the national level, in my opinion we have not gone back, we simply have not moved, we are at the levels of 10 years ago, when I started. while this is not the case for other countries that run like trains. Something will certainly change in a few years, but we are still left behind. Surely the next generations will see it better.

What are your favorite hobbies besides biking?

I like doing sports in general, trekking, running and in the last year I have also experienced ski mountaineering. I have an immense passion for animals, in fact I set up a kind of farm at home.

How do you spend the off-season away from the races? Do you play other sports?

In the off-season I take the opportunity to work more and be with my family, the sports that I practice in the off-season that I mentioned above are in fact those in which you can all be together, including the dog.

Congratulations Laura and good luck for the next competitive season.

Thanks a lot and see you next time.



Written by

[email protected] I am a fan of everything that has 2 wheels: at a young age I practiced road and track cycling (Italian Allievi champion). At the age of 18 I passed into the cross country competing at national/international level as an Under23. Past Elite, I made the choice to take things more lightly from a training point of view, and my love for gravity disciplines was born, training me as an FCI MTB instructor and guide. Now I have made passion my profession by managing 2 MTB centers on the island of Elba (Bike Center Elba and Elba MTB), creating the FANTAmtb and telling in an ironic but professional way everything that revolves around MTB thanks to 365mountainbike and 365TV (YouTube'PULITI dentro BIKER fuori').

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