For any elite athlete, participating in the Olympics represents the pinnacle of a career, the realization of a dream. Simone Avondetto and Sofie Heby Pedersen can now say they've made it. Just a few hours ago, they were called up by the Italian and Danish national teams, respectively, for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team will thus have two representatives in the XCO events at the Olympics, with the women's race on the hills of Élancourt scheduled for Sunday afternoon, July 28, and the men's race on Monday afternoon, July 29.
“It’s obviously a dream come true,” said European champion Avondetto. “Representing Italy at the Olympics is an enormous pride. I’m already excited now, and I’ll be even more so as July 29 approaches. I’m doing everything to be in the best possible shape for the Olympic race. The preparation is going well, and I really hope to achieve another great satisfaction in Paris.”
“I’m thrilled and excited about this opportunity,” added Sofie Heby Pedersen. “Representing Denmark is a great honor, and I can’t wait to go to Paris with the whole team. I will give my all to bring home a good result. Right now, I feel really good, so I hope to maintain this form for another month.”
“I’m really happy for Simone and Sofie,” said Marco Trentin, General Manager of Wilier-Vittoria. “For them, it’s a major milestone, and we’re proud to have contributed to this call-up by providing them with maximum support throughout the season. It’s a well-deserved call-up, and I can only wish them the best of luck.”
“When we decided to invest in cross-country mountain biking, one of our goals was to have at least one of our athletes at the Paris Olympics,” said Andrea, Enrico, and Michele Gastaldello, owners of Wilier. “The call-ups of Sofie and Simone are the tangible result of our commitment and passion for the off-road world. It’s a significant milestone that we see not as an endpoint but as a starting point for achieving great successes.”
Meanwhile, this weekend, the entire XCO team will be in Les Gets, France, for the third-to-last round of the World Cup. For Avondetto and Pedersen, it will be the perfect stage to fine-tune the final details ahead of the Paris trip.
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