Fabiana Lupellini will bring a wealth of world-class experience and knowledge to the men's peloton next season as she takes over the reins of Team Collatec in 2023.

The Italian says she is proud and enthusiastic to be the first woman to lead her country's men's professional cycling team and to be a part of the sport's progress.

"I am very happy about this opportunity given to me. I am especially grateful to Francesco Fassi for choosing me. I am very proud to be the first female sporting director of an Italian team," said Lupellini.

Asked whether the title of sporting director in Italian is masculine or feminine, i.e., directore or directrice, and whether the distinction is important to her, Lupellini replied that respect is the most important, she replied.

"It doesn't matter if you call me Fabiana. I like you even more that way. The important thing is to have respect, both personally and for the role," Fabiana Lupellini said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Lupellini is one of a handful of women who have earned leadership roles on high-level men's cycling teams, and she praises the steps taken to bring more women into management positions that have mostly been held by men.

Robin Morton was the first woman to own and manage Gianni Motta Linea MD, a men's professional team that competed in the Giro d'Italia in the 1980s.

In recent years, Rachel Hedderman (now general manager of EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) has led UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling for men and women, Fran Miller will become CEO of Team Ineos in 2019, and Jana Seal moving from a management position at Astana-Premier Tech to Chief Business Officer at Lot Soudal in 2021, and Shelly Pridham will take a directorship at Israel-Start Up Nation in 2021 before joining Lot Soudal's team of sports directors in 2022 joined the team in 2022. Human Powered Health announced the appointment of Lot De Jonckler as the team's new general manager in 2023.

"I knew there were already female directors abroad. I wasn't aware of it myself," said Lupellini.

"It's good to know that a female figure has come to a purely male environment," said Lupellini.

"When you think about it, even in women's teams, the coach is almost always a man. On a personal level, I am proud of that. I'm not afraid of it. If anything, I'm enthusiastic. I am confident that the team will help me

"In general, [women] offer a different perspective and a different sensitivity. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. And that in itself is a richness. The team at Collatech is young and I can use my experience and technical competence. And I may be able to be less demanding than men when necessary or expedient."

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She acknowledged that women are often held to higher standards in the workplace and in cycling, especially in pursuing leadership opportunities.

"Unfortunately, as history has said, women must always prove to be a step or two, if anything ten steps less superior to men. Especially in order to obtain a higher level of duties. I want to be true to my experience and be a role model for many women."

Now 48 years old, Lupellini has retired from a successful career that spanned two decades, and in the years since the race she has helped run the family agriturismo at her home in Pontedera, near Pisa in Tuscany, Italy.

His world-class racing experience includes five overall victories at the Giro d'Italia Donne in 1995-98 and 2008, three victories at the Tour Cycliste Femminine from 1995-97, and three victories at the Flèche Wallonne in 1998, 2001, and 2002. She has racing experience. She is widely regarded as one of the strongest climbers of her generation.

However, nandrolone was detected in a urine sample taken in October 1999, and Lupellini was suspended for eight months. At the time, she reportedly denied using performance enhancing substances and claimed that the positive test was due to contaminated supplements.

At Team Collatec, Lupellini will lead a team that has 15 riders confirmed so far, along with the intention of obtaining a second-division professional team license. The team will include Valerio Conti (Astana Kazakstan Team) and Attilio Viviani (Bingoal Sauces Pauwels WB).

Italy, a powerhouse in women's cycling, has shown remarkable growth in two seasons. Last year Elisa Balsamo won the world title in Flanders, and this season has been a "golden week" with victories in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Brugge des Pannes, and Ghent-Wevelgem.

Elisa Longo Borghini won Paris-Roubaix and the women's Tour, while Marta Cavalli won the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne and was second overall in the Giro d'Italia Donne. Other winners included Marta Bastianelli and Erika Magnardi (both UAE Team ADQ), Soraya Paradin (Canyon-SRAM), Chiara Consonni and Eleonora Camilla Gasparini (both Valcar - Travel & Service), Rachele Barbieri ( Rib Racing Exstra), and Gaia Riarini (Isolman-Premac-Vittoria). And of course, Silvia Persico impressed with her revival of the Tour de France Femme.

Lupellini said she was pleased with the growth and professionalization of women's cycling since her retirement and hoped the same development would continue in terms of team management.

"There has been good progress. Women's racing salaries have increased and the popularity of women's racing is on the rise. Much progress can still be made. Hopefully more women will take on the role of sport director," she said.

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