I wrote this a while back in share boredom! Just saw he signed with Androni today so thought I would share it before it got too old and irrelevant anyway.
Good talent! Can have an OK future.
Diego Rosa (Palazzago!)
1530meters above sea-level, at the top of the grueling Passo Pramollo, Diego Rosa raises his hands triumphing in the air. He just conquered the last 13,4kilometer ascent up to the finish as the only survivor of a 142kilometer long morning break-away containing 18 other courageous souls. He was the only one capable of finishing the project and in front of a few fanatic Italian journalists who also made it to the top of the Cima; he receives some fully deserved praise and recognition. The harvest of ten years dedication and hard work. A new star on the Italian cycling-scene had been ignited!
It all started on March 27th – 1989 where Enrica Abrate a passionate pre-school teacher with an immense love for children gave birth to what was to be her oldest of four sons, Diego! The early years in the idyllic Provence of Cuneo, saw a young boy thriving within the loving atmosphere which characterized the Rosa household. His father a skilled manual worker who specialized himself as a gutter installer was a huge influence for young Diego who learned the importance of hard work already from a very early age! The family quickly grew bigger with the arrival of his 3 younger brothers, Davide - Max and Luca. A caring and protective older-brother, Diego always strived to set a good example for his younger siblings.
Diego was fond of sport. He enjoyed participating as well as watching from a far! A mix of fascination for the sport combined with good genes in the art of dare-deviling lead him towards mountain-bike. After countless of races among his childhood peers he finally enrolled in the local MTB club in Alba. He was 13 years of age. Eager and determined to show his worth!
His talent was evident and he almost sky-rocketed through the youth ranks. His remarkable performances in the junior category earned him a spot within the Italian national-team where he quickly established himself as one of the key figures. In January 2009 he signed a 3 year long contract with the prestigious Giant Italia MTB team. It was here he was first introduced to Gianfranco Bechis, a man who played a huge role in his further development and later on in their relation got labeled as a second father figure by the pupil himself.
In his time with Giant, Diego Rosa became a household name on the MTB cross-country World Cup scene. He flew down the steepest of downhill’s, his technique was impeccable and he dazzled people with his powerful pedal strokes on the most gruesome off-road ascents. The culmination of his MTB career came on September 2nd where he finished 8th at the World MTB Championships in Champery, Switzerland.
Late October 2011. In his rural farmhouse in Corneliano D'alba, Diego Rosa attends a visit! His visitor is well known within the Italian cycle community. He is director of the powerful Palazzago squad and mentor of countless Italian and East-European professionals, who all served under his banner at a younger age! His name is Olivano Locatelli.
O. Locatelli has a plan… He knows his Italian boy-wonder and team-leader Fabio Aru is about to enter his last season within his team. He is in dire need of a replacement. Back in the day O. Locatelli discovered Fabio Aru during a cycle-cross race on Sardinia. He convinced him to make the transition to road cycling and instant success followed. Now he aims to make a similar transition, this time with Diego Rosa in the leading role.
Before the start of the 2012 road season, Diego trains eagerly in the Dolomites. His regular training-partner Alberto Nardin is an excellent companion. Together they train on Colle dell'Agnello (Diego’s favorite climb) in 2700 meters altitude. Other climbs they regular visit are Col d'Esischie, and Col d' Sampeyre. Interval training is normally done in Langhe, Roero and Barolo.
Diego, who also goes by his nickname Talpa among friends and fellow cyclists, is an excellent climber. He loves long grueling mountains where he can keep his cadence over a very long period of time. Changing rhythm uphill is one of his few weaknesses; he is much more of a diesel engine, which gets better and better the longer the mountain goes on! His time-trial abilities are more than solid. However, on the Italian U-23 scene there are relatively few TT miles to be found; therefore he is still an unknown quantity when the TT is more than 20kilometers long. He is an excellent decender who thrives in cold and wet conditions. Diego Rosa is 1.80cm -64kgs and dreams of being a competitive stage-racer among the professionals.
He races on pure instinct and so far this season he has animated almost every race he entered. He simply loves being in a break-away and working over his fellow escapees. His first victory of the year came in Bologna - Passo della Raticosa where he edge out Giuseppe Rufo in the final sprint after having spent the final 20kilometres away together. In Giro Friuli he won the queen-stage on stage-3 after having spent 142kilometers off the front. On the final ascent he was able to keep off future heavy-hitters like Francesco Manuel Bongiorno, Fabio Aru and Bob Jungles in impressive fashion! In the Giro-Bio he was at it again. On the queen-stage up to Passo Gavia he went away from the gun. 10kilometers from the summit it was game-over as American super climber Joe Dombrowski came flying by, however D. Rosa kept his rhythm and finished the stage on a respectable 13th place. Saturday the traditional Italian U-23 mountain classic Pian della Mussa took place. The final 30kilometeres are all uphill and although it’s not the most devastating of ascents, it’s still by all means a pretty tough climb to conquer. The victory went to new Italian super-talent Davide Villella who used his excellent mix of climbing and sprinting skills to defeat Patrick Facchini in a close mountain-top sprint. D. Rosa kept his own pace and came in 6seconds after the battling duo to occupy 3rd place.
The future looks bright for the talented ex mountain-biker. Now it’s up to himself to capitalize and make the most out of his immense physical abilities.
Good talent! Can have an OK future.
Diego Rosa (Palazzago!)
1530meters above sea-level, at the top of the grueling Passo Pramollo, Diego Rosa raises his hands triumphing in the air. He just conquered the last 13,4kilometer ascent up to the finish as the only survivor of a 142kilometer long morning break-away containing 18 other courageous souls. He was the only one capable of finishing the project and in front of a few fanatic Italian journalists who also made it to the top of the Cima; he receives some fully deserved praise and recognition. The harvest of ten years dedication and hard work. A new star on the Italian cycling-scene had been ignited!
It all started on March 27th – 1989 where Enrica Abrate a passionate pre-school teacher with an immense love for children gave birth to what was to be her oldest of four sons, Diego! The early years in the idyllic Provence of Cuneo, saw a young boy thriving within the loving atmosphere which characterized the Rosa household. His father a skilled manual worker who specialized himself as a gutter installer was a huge influence for young Diego who learned the importance of hard work already from a very early age! The family quickly grew bigger with the arrival of his 3 younger brothers, Davide - Max and Luca. A caring and protective older-brother, Diego always strived to set a good example for his younger siblings.
Diego was fond of sport. He enjoyed participating as well as watching from a far! A mix of fascination for the sport combined with good genes in the art of dare-deviling lead him towards mountain-bike. After countless of races among his childhood peers he finally enrolled in the local MTB club in Alba. He was 13 years of age. Eager and determined to show his worth!
His talent was evident and he almost sky-rocketed through the youth ranks. His remarkable performances in the junior category earned him a spot within the Italian national-team where he quickly established himself as one of the key figures. In January 2009 he signed a 3 year long contract with the prestigious Giant Italia MTB team. It was here he was first introduced to Gianfranco Bechis, a man who played a huge role in his further development and later on in their relation got labeled as a second father figure by the pupil himself.
In his time with Giant, Diego Rosa became a household name on the MTB cross-country World Cup scene. He flew down the steepest of downhill’s, his technique was impeccable and he dazzled people with his powerful pedal strokes on the most gruesome off-road ascents. The culmination of his MTB career came on September 2nd where he finished 8th at the World MTB Championships in Champery, Switzerland.
Late October 2011. In his rural farmhouse in Corneliano D'alba, Diego Rosa attends a visit! His visitor is well known within the Italian cycle community. He is director of the powerful Palazzago squad and mentor of countless Italian and East-European professionals, who all served under his banner at a younger age! His name is Olivano Locatelli.
O. Locatelli has a plan… He knows his Italian boy-wonder and team-leader Fabio Aru is about to enter his last season within his team. He is in dire need of a replacement. Back in the day O. Locatelli discovered Fabio Aru during a cycle-cross race on Sardinia. He convinced him to make the transition to road cycling and instant success followed. Now he aims to make a similar transition, this time with Diego Rosa in the leading role.
Before the start of the 2012 road season, Diego trains eagerly in the Dolomites. His regular training-partner Alberto Nardin is an excellent companion. Together they train on Colle dell'Agnello (Diego’s favorite climb) in 2700 meters altitude. Other climbs they regular visit are Col d'Esischie, and Col d' Sampeyre. Interval training is normally done in Langhe, Roero and Barolo.
Diego, who also goes by his nickname Talpa among friends and fellow cyclists, is an excellent climber. He loves long grueling mountains where he can keep his cadence over a very long period of time. Changing rhythm uphill is one of his few weaknesses; he is much more of a diesel engine, which gets better and better the longer the mountain goes on! His time-trial abilities are more than solid. However, on the Italian U-23 scene there are relatively few TT miles to be found; therefore he is still an unknown quantity when the TT is more than 20kilometers long. He is an excellent decender who thrives in cold and wet conditions. Diego Rosa is 1.80cm -64kgs and dreams of being a competitive stage-racer among the professionals.
He races on pure instinct and so far this season he has animated almost every race he entered. He simply loves being in a break-away and working over his fellow escapees. His first victory of the year came in Bologna - Passo della Raticosa where he edge out Giuseppe Rufo in the final sprint after having spent the final 20kilometres away together. In Giro Friuli he won the queen-stage on stage-3 after having spent 142kilometers off the front. On the final ascent he was able to keep off future heavy-hitters like Francesco Manuel Bongiorno, Fabio Aru and Bob Jungles in impressive fashion! In the Giro-Bio he was at it again. On the queen-stage up to Passo Gavia he went away from the gun. 10kilometers from the summit it was game-over as American super climber Joe Dombrowski came flying by, however D. Rosa kept his rhythm and finished the stage on a respectable 13th place. Saturday the traditional Italian U-23 mountain classic Pian della Mussa took place. The final 30kilometeres are all uphill and although it’s not the most devastating of ascents, it’s still by all means a pretty tough climb to conquer. The victory went to new Italian super-talent Davide Villella who used his excellent mix of climbing and sprinting skills to defeat Patrick Facchini in a close mountain-top sprint. D. Rosa kept his own pace and came in 6seconds after the battling duo to occupy 3rd place.
The future looks bright for the talented ex mountain-biker. Now it’s up to himself to capitalize and make the most out of his immense physical abilities.
Hope for more contributions.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram