Marianne Vos miraculously stays upright after losing a pedal in the sprint
Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda) put the disappointment of the first day behind her as she sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Giro d’Italia Femminile, in Pontecagnano Faiano. The former two-time World champion, who had been held up by a late puncture on stage one, managed to get her wheel just in front of current rainbow jersey Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/Giant), who was struggling to stay upright after hitting hole in the road and losing one of her pedals.
Barbara Guarischi (Vaiano-Fondriest) sprinted into third place, and her best ever result in the Giro Rosa, ahead of Lauren Hall (United States) and Bronzini’s Wiggle Honda teammate Emily Collins.
“I felt good in the climb, really good, so I told the girls that I wanted to have a go at the sprint,” said Bronzini afterwards. “In the last lap there were some attacks from the Pasta Zara team, and I asked the girls to go onto the front and pull the group to chase the break. I chose to stay in Vos’ wheel, when she had a train into the finale; my teammates were working so hard to chase the break, that I said ‘you chase the break and I’ll stay in the other train.’
“When I was in Vos’ wheel Charlotte Becker and Rochelle Gilmore were next to me, just in case something happened to me,” she added, “but I was in the train of Vos – it was perfect on Vos’ wheel – and I went in the last 50 metres.”
The 99.6km stage was made up of four laps of a 24.9km circuit, with the first lap seeing a solo attack from Martine Bras (Boels-Dolmans), but the Dutchwoman was pulled back before she could reach the finish line for the first time. The second time up the circuit’s main climb, Bronzini herself went on the attack, along with Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabobank-Liv/Giant), but they too were back in the peloton before they could get far.
At the end of the second lap, at the stage’s halfway point, Vos took first place across the line to take the Traguardo Volante sprint and three more bonus seconds, with Julie Leth (Hitec Products) taking second place ahead of Vos’ Rabobank-Liv/Giant teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.
Lap three saw another attempted solo breakaway, from Aude Biannic (Michela Fanini-Rox), and the Frenchwoman was joined by Valentina Bastianelli (Vaiano-Fondriest). The two riders managed to get 32 seconds clear of the chase at the 70km point, and were still clear as they crossed the line to start the final lap. They were caught before they could reach the top of the climb to Piazza Garibaldi, however, where green jersey Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana) took the maximum points.
Inga Cilvinaite (Pasta Zara-Cogeas) then managed to get away alone, and got 15 seconds clear, but a chase from Bronzini’s Wiggle Honda team, and Vos’ Rabobank-Liv/Giant team, saw the Lithuanian time trial champion caught.
With eight kilometres to go it was stage one winner Kirsten Wild’s turn to suffer the fate that Bronzini had suffered the day before, as the Netherlands rider punctured. Wiggle Honda and Rabobank-Liv/Giant led into the finish, with Bronzini tucked in behind Vos’ wheel. The World champion was the first to open up her sprint, and looked to have done enough to hold off her Italian rival but, as Bronzini began to ease alongside, Vos hit a repaired piece of tarmac and found her pedal unclipped.
Only Vos’ handling skills prevented the World champion from crashing at full speed, but she was powerless to prevent Bronzini from thrusting her front wheel ahead as they hit the line. More bonus seconds for Vos saw her extend her overall lead, however, and the defending Giro champion took her Maglia Rosa in to a third day.
Result stage 2
1. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant
3. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Vaiano-Fondriest
4. Lauren Hall (USA) United States National Team
5. Emily Collins (NZl) Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling
6. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Rabobank-Liv/Giant
7. Oksana Kozonchuk (Rus) RusVelo
8. Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (Nor) Hitec Products
9. Alena Amialiusik (Blr) BePink
10. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana
Standings after stage 2
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant
2. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giordana @ 17s
3. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Vaiano-Fondriest
4. Julie Leth (Den) Hitec Products @ 18s
5. Adrie Visser (Ned) Boels-Dolmans @ 19s
6. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Fra) Rabobank-Liv/Giant @ 20s
7. Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen (Nor) Hitec Products
8. Lauren Hall (USA) United States National Team @ 21s
9. Oksana Kozonchuk (Rus) RusVelo
10. Alena Amialiusik (Blr) BePink