Giro Rosa 2020 – Stage 9 [FULL STAGE]

September 19, 2020

Giro Rosa 2020 – Stage 9 – Motta Montecorvino – Motta Montecorvino : 109,9 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.

Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dolmans) brought home the overall victory in the 2020 Giro Rosa, finishing the final stage behind the breakaway with a punch in the air to celebrate winning the race for the third time in her career.

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) stepped up onto the final general classification podium in second and top Italian contender Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) held on to third in a tight battle with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig ((FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope).

Young French rider Evita Muzic (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) outrode her breakaway companions to take victory on the final stage and deliver her first Women’s WorldTour win.

The 21-year-old Muzic powered her way up the paved climb to the stage 9 finish line just ahead of New Zealand champion Niamh Fisher-Black (Equipe Paule Ka) and last year’s white jersey winner Juliette Labous (Team Sunweb). All had been in the early break of 27 riders that was established on the very first lap of the four-lap 109.5 kilometre final stage.

Riders from the shattered break continued to trickle in before the GC contenders crossed the Motta Montecorvino finish line and Dutch champion van der Breggen safely secured another title to add to the ones she won back in 2015 and 2017.

“I’m really happy of course. It is special to win the Giro, also the last day is always a bit exciting. The gaps were pretty big, but still it was a hard lap,” said van der Breggen, who has now stood on the final overall Giro Rosa podium six times.

This COVID-19-delayed edition of the Giro Rosa was expected to be a close battle, with no individual time trial and a course lighter on long climbs. Although from stage 2, dominant two-time defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) looked set for another comfortable win until she had to withdraw from the race after a crash on the run in to the line on stage 7, which broke her wrist and ended her Giro Rosa.

The last two years van Vleuten has held a hefty lead into the last stage of the Giro Rosa, with her closest rival more than three minutes behind. This year as we entered the final stage, the top five were all within three minutes of the Maglia Rosa, though there was no doubt that a 1:10 gap to van der Breggen would still be hard for her rivals to overcome.

How it unfolded

This was never going to be a ceremonial final stage, not with the constant up and down as the riders traversed four laps of the 27.5km course to and from Motta Montecorvino.

It was no surprise then that as soon as racing started, so did the attempts to get off the front. Not even 10 kilometres completed and riders were being dropped as the race took its first pass of the Volturino climb.

In a move that stuck, Jelena Eric (Movistar) escaped on the long descent. Once she reached the flat it was hard going, riding in the wind alone, and by the time the race was through the first circuit a chasing group of 26 had caught the leader.

The bunch seemed happy to let the lead group ride away as there were no contenders for the overall among it. It was a mix of riders hunting the stage victory, like Mitchelton-Scott’s Lucy Kennedy, and the teammates of the GC contenders, such as US champion Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo), who were aiming to leap ahead of the main group so they could be of some assistance later if the GC battle heated up.

Through the second lap the composition of the lead group fluctuated, as it split, reformed and shed some riders, but the gap continued to grow. By the time they were into the third lap there were 22 riders out the front with five minutes lead and as they headed into the final lap, it became clear that the winner would come from the break.

With a stage victory to fight for, the attacks came thick and fast, with the group splitting and reforming until finally there were seven out the front in the final kilometre. Fisher-Black, Muzic, Labous, Katia Ragusa (Astana), Ellen Van Dijk (Trek Segafredo), Erica Magnaldi (Ceratizit-WNT Pro) and Sabrina Stultiens (CCC-Liv) charged toward the line.

It was Muzic, who had been riding in support of Uttrup-Ludwig through the rest of the Giro Rosa, that had that little something extra still in reserve on the final climb and managed to edge over the line first.

“I had my chance and Brodie (Chapman) did a very very good job,” said Muzic of her teammate after the stage. “She did the whole climb full gas so I had to win for the team and for her, so I’m just happy.”

The win moved Muzic up to 10th on the GC and second in the youth classification behind Mikayla Harvey (Equipe Paule Ka). The 22-year-old New Zealander has stepped up a level this year climb into fifth on the Giro Rosa overall from 32nd last year.

Uttrup Ludwig secured the Mountains Classification, Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) the points jersey and CCC-Liv the teams competition.

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

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