Carlotta ends year on high at Veneto Women

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Puncheur wins double podium prize in Italy at final race of 2026

Carlotta Cipressi wrapped up Human Powered Health Cycling’s 2026 racing season on a high by claiming two podium prizes at the end of the 106.8 km Veneto Women one-day race from Verona to Vicenza, Italy.

The 23-year-old was present throughout and won the best climber jersey as well as the intermediate sprint jersey, having placed first at both points.

“I’m really happy about the feeling, especially because it’s the last race of the season,” Cipressi said afterwards. “I wanted to give my best and finish off this season in the best way possible, and also to enjoy this last race with Giorgia and the other girls, so I think we made it a good end to 2026.”

With the puncheur feeling confident, the finish plan shifted during the race, with Cipressi following attacks and counterattacks regularly. On the outskirts of Vicenza, an eight-rider group then broke away and competed for victory, with Lianne Lippert (Movistar Team) taking the top spot.

“I was feeling really good, so the girls really helped me. I really appreciated the job of Titia and Nina because we were always together all day,” Cipressi said. “So when they saw me pushing hard from the first climb, they said to me, ‘Okay, Carlotta, we’ll try to work for you, and we’ll always be there. We try to do our best. We play our cards.”

Supported by Nina Buijsman, Titia Ryo, Petra Stiasny, Yurani Blanco and Giada Borghesi, Cipressi then attacked the stunning Monte Berico final climb beside its 18th-century arcades, aiming for a top-ten finish.

“I started a bit earlier in the sprint, and the finish line was really, really steep,” explains Cipressi. “Maybe I was a bit nervous, or I saw the other two girls attacking a bit earlier, and I decided to follow them. But maybe it was better to wait a bit more because then my legs cracked a bit in the last 100 meters. After all, yeah, it was really, really steep.”

Veneto Women wraps up the 2026 racing season for the team with eyes now firmly on 2027 and beyond, beginning at the end of the month when the entire roster congregates at the Human Powered Health Performance Lab in Wellesley, MA.

“For the next year, we will keep pushing to improve,” said Cipressi. “ But now, yes, I’m happy, and it was great to end the season by racing in Italy with family and friends around me.”