Elisa Balsamo's big debut with her new Trek-Segafredo teammates is still seven weeks away, but she made an early first impression wearing the World Champion jersey with the WorldTour team mark.

The Italian signed a three-year contract with an American team before winning the 157.7 km road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Belgium. His first appearance in Trek-Segafredo's team colors of rainbow stripes will be at the Setmana Valenciana on February 17-20, alongside Paris-Roubaix winner Lizzie Deignan and Italian double road champion Elisa Longo Borghini.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to introduce world champion Elisa Balsamo and her new Trek-Segafredo rainbow kit for the first time," the team posted on social media Wednesday, with a photo of Balsamo admiring her new jersey.

Balsamo's move from the Valker program, where she spent five seasons, to 2022 means a step up to the top tier of women's professional cycling. Balsamo was expected to make a strong presence in the cobbled classics and Strade Bianche with her new team next season.

"I feel I can really improve in Trek and make a lot of progress there. There are a lot of big champions on the team, so I have a lot to learn from them. I know Elisa Longo Borghini very well, of course, and there are other really strong athletes like Degnan and Van Dijk. [My dream is to win the Spring Classic. I really like Ghent-Wevelgem and Flanders, but they are all beautiful races for me."

Balsamo has already won in the rainbow jersey, winning on the final day of the six-day women's tour in October with her former team, Valcar Travel & Service. Earlier in the season, she won the GP Edingen and finished in the top 10 at the major spring classics. In the new year, she looked for more success, finishing 4th in Ghent-Wevelgem and 15th in the Tour of Flanders.

He used a strong leadout from Longo Borghini to push past Marianne Vos of the Netherlands in the last few meters to win the world title.

Trek-Segafredo will be relying on Balsamo's climbing prowess going into the first edition of the Tour de France Femme. The team's early plans call for Balsamo to be joined on the team by Degnan, Longo Borghini, European champion Ellen van Dijk, and French time trial champion Audrey Cordon-Lago. The world champion is also expected to double with the Giro d'Italia Feminile.