The 32nd edition of the Giro d’Italia Donne came to a conclusion today, with Anna van der Breggen of Team SD Worx taking home the pink jersey ahead of teammates Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Demi Vollering, and Team DSM’s Coryn Rivera winning the final stage.
After the Sovenza ascent, a strong five-rider group consisting of Lucinda Brand, Anna van der Breggen, Lizzie Deignan, Elise Chabbey and Coryn Rivera went clear and managed to carve out a maximum lead of just over two minutes. Despite a few attacks from the peloton, which was being led mostly by Liv Racing and Movistar Team, no one was able to bridge the gap to the leaders.
Ahead of the finale, it was Rivera and Chabbey who did the majority of the pace setting, with Deignan and Rivera eventually contesting the final sprint, and the Team DSM rider taking the first Giro Donne stage win of her career.
In addition the pink jersey, Anna van der Breggen also takes the points classification, with Lucinda Brand of Team DSM winning the mountains jersey and Niamh Fisher-Black of Team SDWorx prevailing in the young rider’s classification.
Anna van der Breggen: “There was no better way to finish this race than in the Maglia Rosa. It was a really great feeling during an incredible race.”
Coryn Rivera: “Over the first GPM I found myself in a bit of a move. Unfortunately, Juliette was caught in a crash behind, but at least we had a good situation at the front of the race. The gap grew pretty big, so we were pretty confident that it would stay to the line and it was also a strong group, and we were cooperating well. I was taking a pull on the climb and was trying to figure out how to beat two Trek riders, but I managed to drop one and continued to push the pace. The rest of the stage just came down to instincts and proper racing. I wanted to keep an eye on the other two girls, while Lizzie was my biggest competitor in the sprint. I let her open it up early and the finish was a little close, but I had a little extra motivation with my dad on my shoulder and it’s also Nate, my fiancé’s birthday, so I had some extra motivation today. I’m really happy with my personal performance. I know the girls had some challenges today, with Juliette and Lorena crashing, but they’re both okay and we adjusted really well. Juliette sealed up GC and we all came home pretty safe so I think we can all be happy with the last ten days and the final stage.”
