photo credits @ Giro Rosa/Facebook
Lucinda Brand claimed stage 3 of this year’s Giro Rosa in Mantova, after emerging victorious out of a nine-rider sprint finale – ahead of Valentina Scandolara (Orica-AIS) and third place finisher Elena Cecchini (Lotto Soudal Ladies).
Meanwhile, yesterday’s stage winner and overall race leader, Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans), finished in the second group at 1:15 minutes behind Brand. However, the American rider still managed to maintain her grip on the overall race lead, with a 2 second advantage over Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv) and five seconds over Ashlegh Moolman-Pasio (Bigla Pro Cycling Team).
Race Highlights
Today’s 130 kilometer stage from Curtatone to Mantove was mostly flat, with only one climb in Monzambano – nearly 80 kilometers from the finish.
Lizzie Williams (Orica-AIS) was the first rider to initiate an attack during today’s stage, but she was eventually caught by the peloton before the day’s only climb, wherein Flavia Oliveira (Ale Cipollini) grab all of the points in the mountains competition.
From there, a sizable group of riders including Brand, Scandolara and Cecchini, along with Mayuko Hagiwara (Wiggle Honda), Malgorzata Jasinska (Alè-Cipollini), Chiara Pierobon (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo), Claudia Lichtenberg (Liv-Plantur), Daiva Tuslaite (Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi) and Loren Rowney (Velocio-SRAM), managed to escape the field, which ultimately culminated into a bunch sprint finish – with Brand taking the win.
Scandolara said after the stage, “I am double-happy because this morning I didn’t feel so good,” Scandolara said. “In the race I was conscious of this because it was even warmer today than yesterday so I tried not to waste energy in the break.”
“It came down to a sprint and I knew Brand was really fresh because she never worked in the breakaway, she was just protecting her GC rider.
“As we came into the last corner I had to take first position, but I knew it was too long to start the sprint myself. So Brand started it and squeezed me on the left so I had to take the long way to sprint. I was gaining and gaining but it was just too short to the line.”
The Giro Rosa continues tomorrow, with a 103 kilometer flat stage from Pioltello to Pozzo d’Adda near Milan.
Top 20 Finishers
1 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 3:17:57 2 Valentina Scandolara (Ita) Orica – AIS 3 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Lotto Soudal Ladies 4 Loren Rowney (Aus) Velocio – SRAM 5 Mayuko Hagiwara (Jpn) Wiggle Honda 6 Daiva Tuslaite (Ltu) INPA Sottoli Giusfredi 7 Jasinska Malgorzta (Pol) Ale Cipollini 8 Claudia Lichtenberg (Ger) Team Liv-Plantur 9 Chiara Pierobon (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:00:10 10 Annalisa Cucinotta (Ita) Ale Cipollini 0:01:15 11 Mia Radotic (Cro) BTC City Ljubljana 12 Katrin Garfoot (Aus) Orica – AIS 13 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur 14 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Bepink Laclassica 15 Ashlegh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Bigla Pro Cycling Team 16 Michela Pavin (Ita) Servetto Footon 17 Willeke Knol (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur 18 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 19 Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 20 Jessie Walker (GBr) Servetto Footon
General classification after stage 3
1 Megan Guarnier (USA) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team 9:07:01 2 Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 0:00:02 3 Ashlegh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Bigla Pro Cycling Team 0:00:05 4 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 0:00:12 5 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Wiggle Honda 0:00:13 6 Evelyn Stevens (USA) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team 0:00:15 7 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 0:00:17 8 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Velocio – SRAM 0:00:24 9 Mara Abbott (USA) Wiggle Honda 0:00:37 10 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:00:43 11 Claudia Lichtenberg (Ger) Team Liv-Plantur 0:00:54 12 Mayuko Hagiwara (Jpn) Wiggle Honda 13 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Bigla Pro Cycling Team 0:01:53 14 Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 0:01:54 15 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team 0:01:56 16 Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 0:01:59 17 Eugenia Bujak (Pol) BTC City Ljubljana 0:02:00 18 Shara Gillow (Aus) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team 0:02:01 19 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Velocio – SRAM 0:02:02 20 Anna Zita Maria Stricker (Ita) INPA Sottoli Giusfredi 0:02:05
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