Giro Rosa 2020 – Stage 7 [FULL STAGE]

September 17, 2020

Giro Rosa 2020 – Stage 7 – Nola – Maddaloni : 112,5 km

The Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile, more well known as the Giro Rosa, is one of only two stage races remaining on the Women’s WorldTour’s revised late-season calendar created after racing was halted due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic this spring. It is one of the most important events on the calendar as the only women’s Grand Tour, now held from September 11-19. The long-running event traditionally offers a challenging route that utilises some of the most iconic mountain passes throughout Italy – the Stelvio, Mortirolo and Gavia [that was cancelled from last year’s race due to landslides – ed.] – along with punchy stages and sprint finishes that all cater to the most riveting bike racing. Defending champion and reigning world champion, Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott), will return with a powerful team that includes co-leader Amanda Spratt in what she said is expected to be a tough edition, but not the toughest.

Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal) has won stage 7 of the Giro Rosa, beating Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) in the sprint of a small group after an action-packed finale.

A crash took down the maglia rosa leader Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) and Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv), along with Van Vleuten’s teammate Amanda Spratt. Van Vleuten got the winner’s time due the 3km rule and kept the leader’s jersey.

The extent of Van Vleuten’s injuries is not yet known, however, Mitchelton-Scott confirmed that Van Vleuten and Spratt were taken to hospital for examination, while CCC-Liv confirmed that Vos has suffered abrasions but no fractures.

“The stage was going well for us, the breakaway went away early before it eventually came back on the final final lap. There were some attacks over the last climb and we had Annemiek and Spratty in the small group off the front,” said Mitchelton-Scott director Andrew Smith. “Then unfortunately they both came down in a crash inside the final kilometre and have been taken to hospital for scans on their injuries.”

On the first of two laps of a finishing circuit with a 4-kilometre climb, Maria Novolodskaya (Cogeas Mettler Look) had attacked out of the breakaway, but the Russian was caught as she reached the climb on the final lap.

A group of favourites emerged on the climb, but on the descent, things came back together, and about 25 riders entered the last kilometres.

How it unfolded

Two riders got away very early on the 112km stage. Silvia Zanardi (BePink) and Ainara Elbusto (Cronos-Casa Dorada) quickly built an advantage of 4:40 minutes, the peloton giving them free rein for now.

This changed, though, as three riders attacked. Alison Jackson (Team Sunweb), Maria Novolodskaya (Cogeas Mettler Look), and Aude Biannic (Movistar Team) were dangerous enough for the peloton to start chasing, keeping the three chasers at less than 30 seconds for a long time and consequently reducing the gap to the front of the race to about two minutes.

Eventually, the peloton relented, and the chasing trio bridged to the two leaders, forming a breakaway of five riders. With 36km to go, crossing the finish line in Maddaloni for the first time to start the first lap of the finishing circuit, they were 2:10 minutes ahead.

On the climb to the Santuario San Michele Arcangelo overlooking the finish town, Novolodskaya attacked. Her former companions were caught after the descent, but the Russian still held a one-minute advantage when she crossed the finish line to start the final lap.

However, with the peloton in hot pursuit, Novolodskaya’s solo was doomed, and she was reeled in at the start of the climb. Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) went hard from the bottom, splitting up the peloton. She was joined by a select group including Van Vleuten, Niewiadoma, Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dolmans), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Liane Lippert (Team Sunweb), and Vos.

After a counterattack by Van der Breggen was brought back, more riders came up to the group from behind, and 26 riders crested the climb together. Uttrup Ludwig won the mountain sprint, padding her lead in the mountain jersey competition.

There were a few attempts to get away on the flat run-in to the finish, but those moves were shut down quickly, and it looked as if the stage would be decided in a group sprint. Soraya Paladin took to the front to keep things together for Vos, but 1200 metres from the finish, a small swerve by the Italian travelled down the group, leading to a touch of wheels that made Van Vleuten, Vos, Margarita Victoria Garcia (Alé BTC Ljubljana), Omer Shapira (Canyon-SRAM), Erica Magnaldi (Ceratizit-WNT), and Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton-Scott) crash and held up several other riders.

On the slightly uphill finishing straight, Kopecky came around the final corner in perfect position, started her sprint early and easily distanced Deignan and Niewiadoma. Van Vleuten, Vos, and the other crashed riders finished some way behind, but received the winner’s time as the crash happened within the final 3km. Though Van Vleuten keeps the pink jersey, it is not yet clear whether she will able to start stage 8.

Results :
1 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies 2:52:12
2 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:00:02
3 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:00:03
4 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
5 Anna Van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
6 Soraya Paladin (Ita) CCC-Liv
7 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
8 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb Women
9 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) CCC-Liv
10 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Sunweb Women
11 Elena Franchi (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
12 Debora Silvestri (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
13 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women
14 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Equipe Paule Ka
15 Paula Andrea Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women
16 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Movistar Team Women
17 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
18 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
19 Katia Ragusa (Ita) Astana Women’s Team 0:00:31
20 Elizabeth Banks (GBr) Equipe Paule Ka 0:00:03
21 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro 0:01:22
22 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Equipe Paule Ka
23 Emma Cecilie Norsgaard Jørgensen (Den) Equipe Paule Ka
24 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro 0:00:03
25 Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:01:27
26 Nadine Michaela Gill (GBR) Bizkaia-Durango 0:01:28
27 Maria Novolodskaya (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
28 Sara Casasola (Ita) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami TSA 0:01:30
29 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) CCC-Liv
30 Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
31 Marianne Vos (Ned) CCC-Liv 0:00:03
32 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women
33 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:01:36
34 Omer Shapira (Isr) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:00:03
35 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:01:38
36 Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Astana Women’s Team 0:01:41
37 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro 0:01:43
38 Amy Pieters (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
39 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:00:03
40 Margarita Victoria Garcia Cañellas (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
41 Maaike Boogaard (Ned) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:02:19
42 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:00:03
43 Nadia Quagliotto (Ita) Cronos-Casa Dorada 0:03:09
44 Grace Brown (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:04:12
45 Evgenia Vysotska (Ukr) LVIV 0:04:31
46 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
47 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:04:39
48 Silvia Zanardi (Ita) Bepink 0:05:06
49 Letizia Borghesi (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
50 Abby-Mae Parkinson (GBr) Lotto Soudal Ladies
51 Giorgia Bariani (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:05:09
52 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
53 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:05:16
54 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Bizkaia-Durango 0:05:32
55 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Equipe Paule Ka 0:05:39
56 Aigul Gareeva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro 0:07:11
57 Francesca Baroni (Ita) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami TSA 0:07:13
58 Carmela Cipriani (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
59 Markéta Hájková (Cze) Bepink
60 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
61 Olena Sharga (Ukr) LVIV
62 Olga Shekel (Ukr) Astana Women’s Team
63 Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo Women
64 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Equipe Paule Ka
65 Spela Kern (Slo) LVIV
66 Laura Tomasi (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
67 Diana Klimova (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
68 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women
69 Olga Zabelinskaya (Uzb) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
70 Greta Marturano (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
71 Anna Potokina (Rus) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami TSA
72 Lisa Klein (Ger) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:07:20
73 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team Sunweb Women
74 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) CCC-Liv 0:07:24
75 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:07:29
76 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-Sram Racing
77 Simona Frapporti (Ita) Bepink 0:08:33
78 Elizabeth Holden (GBr) Bizkaia-Durango
79 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) CCC-Liv
80 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) Bepink
81 Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
82 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women
83 Giulia Marchesini (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano
84 Jolien D’Hoore (Bel) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
85 Eva Buurman (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
86 Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women
87 Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango
88 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
89 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
90 Beatrice Rossato (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
91 Arianna Sessi (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria
92 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Cronos-Casa Dorada
93 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb Women 0:08:38
94 Alison Jackson (Can) Team Sunweb Women
95 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:08:40
96 Moniek Tenniglo (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:08:42
97 Kirsten Wild (Ned) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
98 Ainara Elbusto Arteaga (Spa) Cronos-Casa Dorada
99 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Cronos-Casa Dorada
100 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
101 Sandra Alonso Dominquez (Spa) Cronos-Casa Dorada
102 Urska Zigart (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:08:45
103 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women
104 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
DNF Lone Meertens (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women

General Classification after Stage 7 :
1 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women 20:29:43
2 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:01:48
3 Anna Van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:02:03
4 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:03:03
5 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Equipe Paule Ka 0:04:21
6 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:04:32
7 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) CCC-Liv 0:04:34
8 Margarita Victoria Garcia Cañellas (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:04:38
9 Marianne Vos (Ned) CCC-Liv 0:05:02
10 Elizabeth Banks (GBr) Equipe Paule Ka 0:05:56
11 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Ceratizit-WNT Pro 0:05:58
12 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
13 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:06:07
14 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Equipe Paule Ka 0:06:51
15 Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:08:10
16 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:08:45
17 Paula Andrea Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women 0:08:49
18 Soraya Paladin (Ita) CCC-Liv 0:08:51
19 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb Women 0:08:52
20 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Movistar Team Women 0:10:55
21 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:11:10
22 Omer Shapira (Isr) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:11:38
23 Nadine Michaela Gill (GBR) Bizkaia-Durango 0:11:57
24 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:12:01
25 Elena Franchi (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria 0:12:03
26 Katia Ragusa (Ita) Astana Women’s Team 0:12:12
27 Maria Novolodskaya (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro 0:14:29
28 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Sunweb Women 0:14:48
29 Amy Pieters (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:16:34
30 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:16:35
31 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:16:39
32 Debora Silvestri (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:16:42
33 Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:18:01
34 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:18:02
35 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team Sunweb Women 0:18:07
36 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:18:26
37 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Equipe Paule Ka 0:19:38
38 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:20:15
39 Spela Kern (Slo) LVIV 0:20:43
40 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:22:56
41 Aigul Gareeva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro 0:24:03
42 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:24:05
43 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:24:34
44 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:24:43
45 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:25:03
46 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) CCC-Liv 0:25:28
47 Sara Casasola (Ita) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami TSA 0:26:08
48 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro 0:27:08
49 Evgenia Vysotska (Ukr) LVIV 0:30:54
50 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb Women 0:31:27
51 Maaike Boogaard (Ned) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
52 Emma Cecilie Norsgaard Jørgensen (Den) Equipe Paule Ka 0:33:17
53 Grace Brown (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:33:35
54 Alison Jackson (Can) Team Sunweb Women 0:33:52
55 Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:34:03
56 Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Astana Women’s Team 0:35:54
57 Greta Marturano (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:37:01
58 Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano 0:37:21
59 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Bizkaia-Durango 0:37:33
60 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:38:08
61 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro 0:38:49
62 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:38:52
63 Silvia Zanardi (Ita) Bepink 0:39:08
64 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women 0:39:30
65 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) CCC-Liv 0:39:50
66 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Equipe Paule Ka 0:39:51
67 Markéta Hájková (Cze) Bepink 0:40:25
68 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Cronos-Casa Dorada 0:42:12
69 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:43:29
70 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:44:00
71 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) CCC-Liv 0:44:11
72 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) Bepink 0:44:28
73 Nadia Quagliotto (Ita) Cronos-Casa Dorada 0:44:58
74 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:45:51
75 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women 0:47:17
76 Lisa Klein (Ger) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:49:31
77 Jolien D’Hoore (Bel) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:50:19
78 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:50:41
79 Giorgia Bariani (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:51:42
80 Diana Klimova (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
81 Beatrice Rossato (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria 0:52:16
82 Abby-Mae Parkinson (GBr) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:53:13
83 Sandra Alonso Dominquez (Spa) Cronos-Casa Dorada 0:53:31
84 Laura Tomasi (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:53:45
85 Letizia Borghesi (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano 0:54:34
86 Francesca Baroni (Ita) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami TSA 0:57:16
87 Urska Zigart (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:57:28
88 Carmela Cipriani (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano 0:58:40
89 Simona Frapporti (Ita) Bepink 0:58:50
90 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:59:09
91 Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women 0:59:34
92 Olga Zabelinskaya (Uzb) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro 0:59:49
93 Elizabeth Holden (GBr) Bizkaia-Durango 1:00:29
94 Giulia Marchesini (Ita) Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano 1:01:57
95 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Cronos-Casa Dorada 1:03:28
96 Kirsten Wild (Ned) Ceratizit-WNT Pro 1:03:30
97 Eva Buurman (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 1:06:42
98 Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 1:09:28
99 Olena Sharga (Ukr) LVIV 1:09:42
100 Moniek Tenniglo (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women 1:09:44
101 Anna Potokina (Rus) Servetto-Piumate-Beltrami TSA 1:10:26
102 Ainara Elbusto Arteaga (Spa) Cronos-Casa Dorada 1:18:08
103 Olga Shekel (Ukr) Astana Women’s Team 1:22:58
104 Arianna Sessi (Ita) Eurotarget-Bianchi-Vittoria 1:35:25