By Denis Piccolo
Photos by Elisa Sottobosco De Zotti
Brands Liv, Giant
Elisa De Zotti – Liv Bike Team
Her dad, an alpine trooper, used to take her hiking in the woods, on high mountain trails, between via ferratas and glaciers, and Elisa loved it! Growing up, everything was amplified and took shape.
Hi Elisa, tell me something about you.
I was born in 1984, in the province of Treviso. I grew up surrounded by nature, animals, vegetables and two great parents. I attended a kindergarten run by nuns and then, growing up with my big brother, Mtv and Cipress Hill, I found my way. My dad, an alpine trooper, used to take me hiking in the woods, on high mountain trails, between via ferratas and glaciers. I really loved it!
Later on, everything was amplified and took shape, the same that changes according to every seasons.
What are your passions?
I’ve got many. From the non sport related ones such as food, movies, music to the wide spaces, maybe what I love the most. One of my hidden dreams is to skydive and I hope I will be able to do that later this year. My other biggest passions are skiing with no rush and just some friends, my skins and my beloved dogs. But as soon as the snow melts I go back to my mountain bike.
How much does outdoor life affect a person’s creativity?
A lot! That’s why I try to live in contact with it as much as I can. Our body and our eyes are not used to the natural world anymore, we lost some “wild” inner part. The lights, the real one, are new to us. You can learn a lot from nature. The authenticity is there, between blue and golden hours. In the upcoming years, everything we could create will be based on eco-sustainability, we need to know which direction to take. For my work I look for inspiration in nature, where I find the real raw, the true influences. We depend on nature, and from there we must start again if we want to build something new and sustainable.
You’re in the Giant’s Liv Team.
Everything started three years ago. I immediately fell in love with Liv’s philosophy that states that a woman doesn’t have to be a marketing object, but a real person. Since the beginning I’ve been very happy to collaborate with this project, to see it growing and developing with always new projects as close as possible to the women’s world. This brand believes in its girls; it allows us to test the products and improve them. Then there is the part of the events shared with the other girls and new realities to discover. This was the great magic and strength of the team, putting together different experiences and backgrounds can only give life to a huge source of creativity.
What kind of Liv bike did you choose?
This year I’ve tested a great variety of bikes: from the e-bike to the gravel one, but my favourite remains the “Hail Advanced”, that’s my bike, a true MTB. Lightweight but extremely stable. The trails where I usually ride are steep and hard and you have to create your own flow! A clean and smooth ride always pays off, but when needed, the geometry of this Liv gives you a great self-confidence.
Future projects?
Projects are fundamental for the future. A few years ago, I created with my boyfriend Sottobosco, our brand. We don’t want to define it, because it’s something that constantly changes shapes. It was born as a metaphor to describe our environment, I love to see people puzzled by it. We’re basically creatives, our office is a Fiat Doblò with a suitcase full of ideas. We started our outdoor life fifteen years ago, just after high school. Our works go from graphic design to video editing and other different forms of advertising.
“You don’t need a lot, you just have to start doing something”, with this sentence I hope to motivate some lazy people to put aside the car and start walking or cycling. Something has changed during the last years. I see more and more girls on the mountains, on the skins in winter, on a bike in the summer. We’re starting to realize how beautiful life, nature and our Italy are. Go out, climb, put something on when it rains and let the snowflakes fall on your tongue.
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