Riders

David was born in the US, but has lived in Italy for over a decade and now calls Lucca, Tuscany home. David is a dreamer who, in his words, is “forever pondering if there is a better way.” His natural curiosity leads him to think almost exclusively outside the box, constantly pushing and challenging norms with an idealism and belief that if we can all work together to create a better future, we can achieve things we haven’t even begun to fathom. 

These traits, along with a past as a professional rider and current work as a cycling coach, brought David into the project not only as a rider, but as the manager of the team.

“If I can create an environment in this team that gives others the possibility to achieve their goals, then I believe that I can create a platform for positive change in the sport and beyond.”

Cristiana is a native of Trentino in the north of Italy, but now lives near Brescia, just down the road from the Reverb headquarters. Cristiana is a bit like all of us, seemingly super relaxed, but underneath a super competitive person, making her perfectly suited to ultra distance races. Don’t let her social butterfly ways fool you. When the chips are down and the race is on, her tunnel vision on her singular goal makes her a formidable adversary for anyone unlucky enough to try to keep up. 

Cristiana doesn’t back down from anything once she’s set her mind to something, a quality that serves her well in her daily life where she balances training and work, often waking up at 4am to ride before work.

“It’s completely normal for me to keep riding through the night at the ultra races, it’s something I do almost everyday, so I’m used to managing fatigue and discomfort.”

The Trieste native is Reverb’s wild card. With Pierfrancesco, the possibilities are endless, in every sense of the word. For him limits are bound only by your imagination. When others assume it can’t be done, Pierfrancesco is already dreaming about the next challenge, and this is how he approaches cycling. To him, it’s more than a narrowly defined sport, but rather an opportunity to express himself without fear of labels. The more avant-garde the challenge, the more possibilities he sees to make success his own.

The recent scienze motorie graduate will soon start work as a cycling coach in Udine, making his mark by questioning even the most seemingly established norms, pushing to unlock newer, better ways forward.

“I’m a bit like those guys who are always causing problems. I’m curious and when I have a question that I can’t get my head around, I’ll throw it out to the world. Sometimes the world isn’t ready to answer, but that won’t stop me from pushing for something better.”

Sacha, ironically, has the least amount of experience on gravel of anyone on the team, but boasts a palmarès that can make even current professionals blush. Hailing from the proud Veneto region in north eastern Italy, Sacha quickly rose through the ranks of cycling, eventually having a long and prosperous career on the road in which he won nearly 50 races, including multiple Grand Tour stages and top 10 placings in the iconic Northern Classics. 

Upon retirement, Sacha swore he wouldn’t race again, but after a couple of months off, he realized that it wasn’t his appetite for racing that had gone; he just needed to try something new and different. A sprinter through and through, he is not lacking in confidence, but knows that he has a lot to learn in the world of gravel. His road career was a smashing success, will this be his encore? 

“I’m not here to prove anything to anyone. I’ve already proven what I need to myself. This is a new world, one that I used to turn my nose up at, but it’s given me a breath of fresh air, and a desire to push my limits again.”

When he starts joking, that’s when you should be scared. The Colombian native boasts a fantastic sense of humor and sees the lighter side of things, usually right about the time he decides to open up the gas. His past as a professional rider on the road taught him to suffer, laugh it off, and then do it all over, day in and day out - with a smile on his face.

Kristian, despite his humility, brings tons of experience to Reverb and his boundless positive energy, even in the face of impossible tasks is a reminder to all that doing things the right way can be done with a joie de vivre to enrich not only our athletic experience, but also the world around us.

“I don’t take anything for granted. I am more than grateful for every opportunity that I get, and this one at Reverb is a brilliant opportunity in a project that I fully believe in. It is something that can evolve and go beyond sport, to a more human aspect that transcends the sport.”

Emma joined Reverb as a guest rider for the Unound Gravel by way of La Bicicletta, our friend Mallorca based team, but the Irish native is often based in Girona, Spain. With a past as a strong swimmer, representing Ireland in her youth, her desire to leave her mark on the sporting world burns as bright as ever. Emma is someone who doesn’t believe in doing things halfway. It’s all in or don’t bother starting. 

Emma currently works with the Olympic Federation of Ireland and Tri Talking Sport, balancing work and racing gravel. Her desire for adventure and passion for cycling have brought her far, and fuels her athletic goals and outlook for future goals.

“Life is short. Chase the things you want, but be prepared to work for them. Remember to enjoy it, especially when it comes to sport; if it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.”