Giro d’Italia Donne 2021 – Stage 09 [FULL STAGE] (ladies)

July 10, 2021

Giro d’Italia Donne 2021 – Stage 9 – Feletto-Umberto – Monte Matajur : 122,6 km

The cycling community – teams, riders, fans and media – might not recognise the revamped Giro d’Italia Donne held from July 2-11 across northern Italy after new organiser stepped in to give the race a complete makeover with fresh branding and marketing initiatives, and promises of better security and live broadcasting, all in an effort to win back its status on the Women’s WorldTour. The event is known for its more than 30-year history as the toughest race on the women’s calendar and it has been a part of the Women’s WorldTour since the top-tier calendar’s inception in 2016. However, the race was downgraded to the 2.Pro Series for not providing required live television and other organisational concerns last year.

Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (SD Worx) has won stage 9 of the Giro d’Italia Donne, arguably the biggest success of her career. She finished ahead of her SD Worx teammates Demi Vollering in second and maglia rosa Anna van der Breggen in third.

Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) was fourth with Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) in fifth place.

“Wow, it feels so amazing. This is my tenth Giro, and I have never won a stage before! I have only ever finished second. I am also second on the GC, but it is really special to win a stage,” Moolman Pasio said.

Moolman Pasio attacked with Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) on the penultimate Stregna climb, cresting 41km from the finish, and the two riders started the daunting Monte Matajur finishing climb with a two-minute advantage on the peloton.

Moolman-Pasio dropped Longo Borghini with 8km to go and continued alone to win the stage, with teammate and overall leader Anna van der Breggen controlling the group of favourites behind.

Van der Breggen heads into the finale stage 10 on Sunday with a firm hold on the maglia rosa ahead of her teammates Moolman Pasio and Vollering.

How it unfolded

Covering 122.6km from the start in Feletto Umberto to the finish on the Monte Matajur, the penultimate stage of the 2021 Giro Donne was the hardest of the race with the second-category climb of Stregna followed by the tough first-category finishing climb.

Letizia Borghesi (Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano), Asia Zontone (Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA), and Giorgia Vettorello (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) formed the day’s breakaway.

Their maximum advantage was 3:28 minutes with 50km to go, but this gap went down again even before the Stregna climb where Borghesi dropped her two companions. She was caught about two kilometres from the top of the climb.

Longo Borghini and Moolman Pasio then attacked from the peloton, cresting the climb with a 30-second advantage on a group of about 35 riders including the maglia rosa.

Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) and Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo) tried to bridge to the front on the descent but were reeled in again. A crash on the downhill brought down Sofia Bertizzolo (Liv Racing) and Clara Koppenburg (Rally Cycling), and the latter had to abandon the race with a suspected collarbone fracture.

Longo Borghini and Moolman-Pasio extended their advantage on the flat section between the two climbs, starting the ascent of the Monte Matajur 2:18 minutes ahead of the peloton. Anouska Koster (Team Jumbo-Visma) and Marta Bastianelli (Alé BTC Ljubljana) as well as Liv Racing’s Soraya Paladin were chasing in between, but they were all reeled in by the peloton on the lower slopes of the climb.

As the group of favourites was slowly but surely closing in, Moolman Pasio then accelerated away from the Italian champion on one of the steeper parts of the climb with about eight kilometres to go. Riding alone, the 35-year-old South African climber gained time again on the favourites’ group where rider after rider dropped off.

Longo Borghini was caught and passed by Van der Breggen, Vollering, Cavalli, and Deignan about 3.5km from the finish, but Moolman Pasio held on to the top of the climb to take the first Giro Donne stage win of her career.

Results :
1 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx 3:52:35
2 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:01:26
3 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx
4 Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:01:39
5 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo 0:02:14
6 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:02:27
7 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM 0:02:37
8 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:02:46
9 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx 0:02:56
10 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:03:25
11 Gaia Realini (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria 0:03:28
12 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women 0:03:31
13 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:41
14 Eider Merino Cortazar (Spa) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:04:31
15 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:04:53
16 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:04:58
17 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing 0:05:41
18 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
19 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:05:50
20 Mariia Novolodskaia (Rus) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:06:13
21 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:06:20
22 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM
23 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:06:22
24 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:07:20
25 Nadia Quagliotto (Ita) BePink
26 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team DSM 0:08:02
27 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:08:04
28 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:08:13
29 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
30 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:08:30
31 Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Lotto Soudal Ladies
32 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM 0:08:44
33 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange 0:08:47
34 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:09:12
35 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing 0:09:17
36 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Movistar Team Women 0:09:38
37 Marta Lach (Pol) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:09:47
38 Silke Smulders (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:10:02
39 Greta Richioud (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 0:10:16
40 Debora Silvestri (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:11:13
41 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:11:41
42 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:12:18
43 Sara Poidevin (Can) Rally Cycling 0:12:53
44 Camilla Alessio (Ita) BePink 0:13:01
45 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM 0:13:02
46 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
47 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
48 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:13:04
49 Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:13:07
50 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:13:11
51 Léa Curinier (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
52 Inga Cesuliene (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano 0:13:13
53 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:13:40
54 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing 0:13:41
55 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:14:09
56 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team DSM
57 Laura Tomasi (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:16:34
58 Anna Potokina (Rus) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA 0:16:36
59 Federica Piergiovanni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:19:49
60 Matilde Vitillo (Ita) BePink
61 Noemi Lucrezia Eremita (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
62 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange
63 Greta Marturano (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
64 Jesse Vandenbulcke (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
65 Amandine Fouquenet (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
66 Alice Palazzi (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
67 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Team SD Worx
68 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx
69 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing
70 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:22:55
71 Letizia Borghesi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
72 Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
73 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) BePink 0:24:00
74 Natalia Studenikina (Rus) Born to Win G20 Ambedo 0:24:33
75 Pauline Allin (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 0:27:30
76 Francesca Pisciali (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria 0:29:35
77 Elisa Dalla Valle (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:31:58
78 Anna Trevisi (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
79 Alice Gasparini (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
80 Sara Martin Martin (Spa) Movistar Team Women
81 Lucie Jounier (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
82 Carlotta Borello (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
83 Giorgia Bariani (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
84 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
85 Marta Jaskulska (Pol) Liv Racing
86 Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar Team Women
87 Lara Krähemann (Swi) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
88 Typhaine Laurance (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team
89 Michaela Drummond (NZl) BePink
90 Heidi Franz (USA) Rally Cycling
91 Lina Svarinska (Lat) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
92 Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
93 Anastasia Carbonari (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
94 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM Racing
95 Valentina Scandolara (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
96 Gemma Sernissi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
97 Giorgia Vettorello (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
98 Lone Meertens (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
99 Maria Vittoria Sperotto (Ita) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
100 Silvia Zanardi (Ita) BePink 0:32:04
101 Katie Clouse (USA) Rally Cycling
102 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
103 Asia Zontone (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA 0:32:20
DNS Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
DNS Nancy van der Berg (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
DNS Georgia Williams (NZl) Team BikeExchange
DNS Grace Brown (Aus) Team BikeExchange
DNF Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Liv Racing
DNF Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Rally Cycling
DNF Nadja Heigl (Aut) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA

General Classification after Stage 9 :
1 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx 24:04:12
2 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx 0:01:23
3 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:03:05
4 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo 0:06:48
5 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:08:06
6 Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:08:09
7 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM 0:08:20
8 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:08:52
9 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx 0:09:24
10 Gaia Realini (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria 0:10:33
11 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:10:46
12 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:11:19
13 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:11:39
14 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:12:14
15 Eider Merino Cortazar (Spa) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:14:04
16 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:14:36
17 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:14:52
18 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women 0:14:56
19 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM 0:16:21
20 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Movistar Team Women 0:17:56
21 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:18:56
22 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM 0:23:56
23 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:24:28
24 Marta Lach (Pol) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:25:00
25 Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:25:08
26 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing 0:26:24
27 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:26:34
28 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:26:59
29 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team DSM 0:27:42
30 Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:29:03
31 Nadia Quagliotto (Ita) BePink 0:29:28
32 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing 0:30:13
33 Silke Smulders (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:30:31
34 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:31:00
35 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange 0:31:52
36 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:32:40
37 Mariia Novolodskaia (Rus) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 0:32:52
38 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:33:12
39 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:33:26
40 Léa Curinier (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 0:34:26
41 Greta Marturano (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:34:28
42 Debora Silvestri (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:34:32
43 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:35:18
44 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:36:18
45 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:36:57
46 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:37:28
47 Camilla Alessio (Ita) BePink 0:38:27
48 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing 0:38:33
49 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:38:41
50 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing 0:40:39
51 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:40:44
52 Inga Cesuliene (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano 0:43:11
53 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team DSM 0:44:52
54 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:45:26
55 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM 0:47:13
56 Letizia Borghesi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano 0:48:50
57 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:48:56
58 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:50:22
59 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:50:26
60 Federica Piergiovanni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:51:54
61 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange 0:52:16
62 Greta Richioud (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 0:53:11
63 Anna Potokina (Rus) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA 0:54:17
64 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx 0:54:26
65 Laura Tomasi (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:54:34
66 Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano 0:54:50
67 Jesse Vandenbulcke (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:56:22
68 Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar Team Women 0:56:47
69 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:59:05
70 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 1:00:41
71 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) BePink 1:02:26
72 Pauline Allin (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 1:04:55
73 Heidi Franz (USA) Rally Cycling 1:06:32
74 Noemi Lucrezia Eremita (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria 1:07:39
75 Sara Martin Martin (Spa) Movistar Team Women 1:07:46
76 Anna Trevisi (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 1:07:49
77 Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 1:09:36
78 Giorgia Vettorello (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 1:09:56
79 Sara Poidevin (Can) Rally Cycling 1:13:54
80 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 1:14:56
81 Lone Meertens (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies 1:16:33
82 Alice Gasparini (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria 1:18:43
83 Silvia Zanardi (Ita) BePink 1:18:53
84 Giorgia Bariani (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 1:19:53
85 Michaela Drummond (NZl) BePink 1:21:23
86 Maria Vittoria Sperotto (Ita) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team 1:22:00
87 Alice Palazzi (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo 1:23:13
88 Matilde Vitillo (Ita) BePink 1:24:43
89 Marta Jaskulska (Pol) Liv Racing 1:27:30
90 Katie Clouse (USA) Rally Cycling 1:28:52
91 Anastasia Carbonari (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo 1:29:07
92 Lucie Jounier (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 1:33:39
93 Natalia Studenikina (Rus) Born to Win G20 Ambedo 1:33:50
94 Elisa Dalla Valle (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 1:35:54
95 Amandine Fouquenet (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 1:36:16
96 Francesca Pisciali (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria 1:37:44
97 Asia Zontone (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA 1:38:22
98 Valentina Scandolara (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano 1:41:24
99 Carlotta Borello (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA 1:51:17
100 Gemma Sernissi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano 1:51:25
101 Lina Svarinska (Lat) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA 1:56:49
102 Lara Krähemann (Swi) Born to Win G20 Ambedo 2:06:59
103 Typhaine Laurance (Fra) Arkea Pro Cycling Team 2:16:57