Yesterday, Acquasanta park in piazza Martiri Perugini hosted the grand presentation of the teams participating in Giro d’Italia Donne. The Italian stage race scheduled from today 30th June to 9th July, is organised by Starlight ASD for the third consecutive year. Last night, the 24 participating teams took turns to be presented on stage for a meet & greet. It provided a fantastic opportunity for fans and enthusiasts to encounter the best athletes on the international scene.
There are a total of 167 athletes competing in this 34th edition of the stage race, comprising 24 teams, 15 of which belong to the UCI Women’s World Tour category. Among the names at the starting line, those who most certainly stand out are the world champion Annemiek Van Vleuten (Movistar team), last year’s winner of Giro Donne, and the European champion Lorena Wiebes (Sd worx). The two-fold challenge for the stage victory and for the overall ranking will undoubtedly be very interesting to watch.
Annemiek Van Vleuten- world champion, winner of Giro Donne in 2018, 2019, 2022 said of this year’s race, “It is a great emotion for me and an honour to be at Giro, it is my twelfth time, but it feels as if it was the first. Italy has something magical for me, when I arrive it feels like I am at home, I couldn’t tell why exactly, maybe because of the environment and the fans, this country is able to give me something really special. Some athletes have declared not to aim for Giro Donne and to participate in preparation for the Tour de France, but I am here in my best form and cannot wait to give battle. I spent the last few weeks in Livigno and I think I’ve best prepared myself. It’s a very strange path because there are no big climbs and that’s why it’s hard to interpret, I must never lose concentration. This will be my last Giro and I want to honour it to the fullest.”
Lorena Wiebes- European champion added, “I am so glad to be here at Giro Donne, it is a bit of a magical race to me. I remember the first time I came here was 2021 and on that occasion I had won two stages, it was a wonderful feeling. This year I returned to the pink race with the aim of winning a stage, but also trying to win the prologue, it is a short time trial that requires explosiveness and I think I can express myself better. I feel good and I’m really satisfied with how the season is going, I increased the workload especially to improve uphill. I have a phenomenal team backing me up and I hope to bring home a great victory.”
