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March 19, 2023
Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2023 WE – Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca – Cittiglio : 139 km
Trofeo Alfredo Binda is one of the oldest one-day races on the women’s WorldTour calendar and was first held back in 1974.
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March 19, 2023
Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2023 WE – Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca – Cittiglio : 139 km
Trofeo Alfredo Binda is one of the oldest one-day races on the women’s WorldTour calendar and was first held back in 1974. The race is named after the late Italian rider, Alfredo Binda, the first ever winner of the UCI Men’s Road World Championships. The race also finishes in Cittiglio where Binda was born. Now in its 48th year, Trofeo Alfredo Binda is the most established one-day race on the Women’s WorldTour, predating the women’s Tour of Flanders – perhaps the second-most established one-day race – by a whopping 30 years. It’s also one of the most unique, with a hilly route that catalyses some of the most unpredictable and aggressive racing seen anywhere in the world. For the last few years, the race has followed the same tried-and-tested route around Cittiglio. There are several climbs which make an appearance on this route, but none are tougher or more infamous than the Orino – a 3km-long test with max gradients of 11%. The riders take on this challenging climb four times before they plunge downhill towards the finish. This downhill finale creates an interesting dynamic that suits many different types of riders.
Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) has taken her first individual Women’s WorldTour victory at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. The 21-year-old attacked into the descent from Orino with 25 km to go and held off the peloton on the final lap, increasing her advantage on the final ascent of the Orino climb before descending to the finish.
Finishing 23 seconds later, her teammate Elisa Balsamo beat Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-SUEZ) in the sprint of the chasing peloton for a Trek-Segafredo 1-2.
“I can’t believe it. It’s my first-ever victory for the team, and this has always been one of my favourite races. I never expected to stay away. I just expected them to come back and Balsi [Elisa Balsamo] to win the sprint. And somehow, I managed to win this race,” Van Anrooij said after the finish.
Her performance gave Trek-Segafredo a third win in consecutive years, with Elisa Longo Borghini having won in 2021 followed by Balsamo last year.
“I knew I was in really good shape but I only started my road season on Wednesday after a break post-CX season. I came here more with the expectation of helping Elisa [Balsamo] again to try and win the sprint but I felt super strong and I just tried to attack. Somehow I could keep a gap until the finish line and win this race.
“I felt really strong the whole race and I was in every single breakaway. When Niewiadoma attacked on the climb, I could follow her really strongly: from there I knew I just needed to try and believe in myself. I had a lot of support from the Team in my ear so it was super nice.”
How it unfolded
From the start in the small town of Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca, the race went along the shores of the Lago Maggiore for the first 10 kilometres before turning inland. Having crossed the finish line in Cittiglio – birthplace of Alfredo Binda in 1902 – after 68.2 km, the riders then faced four laps of a 17.7-kilometre circuit with the short, but steep Casalzuigno climb (0.84 km at 7 percent) and the longer Orino climb (3.9 km at 3.9 percent) that topped 7.6 km from the finish.
Despite a flurry of attacks, no breakaway lasted longer than a few kilometres, and it was still ‘gruppo compatto’ as the peloton entered the second lap of the finishing circuit.
A group of nine briefly got away on the Casalzuigno climb, then a group of seven including four-time winner Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) and 2018 winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) broke free on the descent. Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) was instrumental in closing down this dangerous group.
On the Orino climb, 19-year-old Eleonora Ciabocco (Team DSM) attacked and finally got a gap. Karlijn Swinkels (Team Jumbo-Visma) bridged to her on the descent, and Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ) also went on a solo chase, making it to the front just before the Casalzuigno climb on the penultimate lap.
They were 50 seconds ahead at this point, but a big turn by Trek-Segafredo’s Gaia Realini closed this gap on the Orino climb, launching Van Anrooij’s attack over the top. Going into the final lap, the 21-year-old was 11 seconds ahead of a peloton of about 30 riders where Team SD Worx’ Niamh Fisher-Black and Sina Frei were chasing in support of Women’s WorldTour leader Lorena Wiebes.
Brown went on a brief solo chase but was caught on the Casalzuigno climb where Niewiadoma and Mavi García (Liv Racing TeqFind) set the pace in the peloton, dropping Wiebes but getting no closer to Van Anrooij.
Élise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) attacked with 11 km to go, but Marta Cavalli (FDJ-SUEZ) reeled her in on the lower slopes of the Orino climb. Accelerations by García, Cavalli, and Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon-SRAM) couldn’t force a split in the peloton, and Van Anrooij steadily increased her advantage to crest the climb 25 seconds ahead.
On the final kilometres, Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) covered attacks by Juliette Labous, Elise Uijen (both Team DSM), and Bauernfeind, and Van Anrooij had plenty of time to celebrate her victory in Cittiglio.
Results :
 has taken her first individual Women's WorldTour victory at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. The 21-year-old attacked into the descent from Orino with 25 km to go and held off the peloton on the final lap, increasing her advantage on the final ascent of the Orino climb before descending to the finish.
Finishing 23 seconds later, her teammate Elisa Balsamo beat Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-SUEZ) in the sprint of the chasing peloton for a Trek-Segafredo 1-2.
“I can’t believe it. It’s my first-ever victory for the team, and this has always been one of my favourite races. I never expected to stay away. I just expected them to come back and Balsi [Elisa Balsamo] to win the sprint. And somehow, I managed to win this race,” Van Anrooij said after the finish.
Her performance gave Trek-Segafredo a third win in consecutive years, with Elisa Longo Borghini having won in 2021 followed by Balsamo last year.
"I knew I was in really good shape but I only started my road season on Wednesday after a break post-CX season. I came here more with the expectation of helping Elisa [Balsamo] again to try and win the sprint but I felt super strong and I just tried to attack. Somehow I could keep a gap until the finish line and win this race.
"I felt really strong the whole race and I was in every single breakaway. When Niewiadoma attacked on the climb, I could follow her really strongly: from there I knew I just needed to try and believe in myself. I had a lot of support from the Team in my ear so it was super nice."
<strong>How it unfolded</strong>
From the start in the small town of Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca, the race went along the shores of the Lago Maggiore for the first 10 kilometres before turning inland. Having crossed the finish line in Cittiglio – birthplace of Alfredo Binda in 1902 – after 68.2 km, the riders then faced four laps of a 17.7-kilometre circuit with the short, but steep Casalzuigno climb (0.84 km at 7 percent) and the longer Orino climb (3.9 km at 3.9 percent) that topped 7.6 km from the finish.
Despite a flurry of attacks, no breakaway lasted longer than a few kilometres, and it was still ‘gruppo compatto’ as the peloton entered the second lap of the finishing circuit.
A group of nine briefly got away on the Casalzuigno climb, then a group of seven including four-time winner Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) and 2018 winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) broke free on the descent. Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) was instrumental in closing down this dangerous group.
On the Orino climb, 19-year-old Eleonora Ciabocco (Team DSM) attacked and finally got a gap. Karlijn Swinkels (Team Jumbo-Visma) bridged to her on the descent, and Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ) also went on a solo chase, making it to the front just before the Casalzuigno climb on the penultimate lap.
They were 50 seconds ahead at this point, but a big turn by Trek-Segafredo’s Gaia Realini closed this gap on the Orino climb, launching Van Anrooij’s attack over the top. Going into the final lap, the 21-year-old was 11 seconds ahead of a peloton of about 30 riders where Team SD Worx’ Niamh Fisher-Black and Sina Frei were chasing in support of Women’s WorldTour leader Lorena Wiebes.
Brown went on a brief solo chase but was caught on the Casalzuigno climb where Niewiadoma and Mavi García (Liv Racing TeqFind) set the pace in the peloton, dropping Wiebes but getting no closer to Van Anrooij.
Élise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) attacked with 11 km to go, but Marta Cavalli (FDJ-SUEZ) reeled her in on the lower slopes of the Orino climb. Accelerations by García, Cavalli, and Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon-SRAM) couldn’t force a split in the peloton, and Van Anrooij steadily increased her advantage to crest the climb 25 seconds ahead.
On the final kilometres, Amanda Spratt (Trek-Segafredo) covered attacks by Juliette Labous, Elise Uijen (both Team DSM), and Bauernfeind, and Van Anrooij had plenty of time to celebrate her victory in Cittiglio.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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