Polish rider escapes the breakaway into iconic hilltop city
Malgorzata Jasinska (MCipollini-Giambenini) seized control of the 2012 Giro Toscana-Memorial Michela Fanini with a solo victory on the Queen stage of the race between Pontedera and the hilltop city of Volterra. The 28-year-old Polish rider escaped from the rest of a stage-long breakaway inside the last ten kilometres of the stage and crossed the line on the steep, uphill Piazza dei Priori alone. Lauren Hall (Tibco-To The Top) finished second, 1’02” behind Jasinska, with Valentina Bastianelli (Viano-Pepso) third, a further seven seconds back.
With her huge margin of victory, Jasinska took over the pink jersey, leading the race by 52 seconds over Hall.
“Yesterday Marta Tagliaferro [who sprinted to second place – ed] today Malgorzata Jasinska,” said a very satisfied Luisiana Pegoraro, directeur sportif of MCipollini-Giambenini. “This is the proof that the whole team is working well. I’m very happy for Malgorzata, as I was yesterday for Marta; all the team has worked very well.”
Almost as soon as the 137.6km stage began Jasinska, Hall and Bastianelli got away, along with Italian champion Giada Borgato (Diadora-Pasta Zara),Romy Kasper (RusVelo), Sarah Düster (Rabobank), Jamie Bookwalter (United States), Silvia Valsecchi (Be Pink), Jasinska’s teammate Valentina Carretta, and Jessie Maclain (Orica-GreenEdge)
With most of the big teams in the race represented, the group was allowed to build a big lead over the peloton and, as they reached the foot of the climb to Volterra for the first time, with 33.9km to go, the ten riders were almost six minutes clear. Five-time Giro Donne winner Fabiana Luperini then began to increase the pace at the head of the peloton and, as Jasinska led over the finish line to start the 23.7km finishing loop the gap had been cut to four minutes.
Before the final climb began Kasper jumped away from the rest, and managed to get 40 seconds clear; she was chased down and dropped by Jasinska however, and dropped back to the rest of the chasers. The Polish rider continued to the line, to take her first victory of the season, with the rest trailing over the line behind her.
2011 race winner Megan Guarnier (Tibco-To The Top) was the first of the peloton to finish, 3’11” back.
Result stage 2
1. Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) MCipollini-Giambenini
2. Lauren Hall (USA) Tibco-To The Top @ 1’02”
3. Valentina Bastianelli (Ita) Vaiano-Tepso @ 1’09”
4. Jamie Bookwalter (USA) United States @ 1’20”
5. Romy Kasper (Ger) RusVelo @ 1’27”
6. Valentina Carretta (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini @ 1’51”
7. Jessie MacLean (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
8. Sarah Düster (Ger) Stichting Rabobank @ 2’12”
9. Giada Borgato (Ita) Diadora-Pasta Zara @ 2’50”
10. Megan Guarnier (USA) Tibco-To The Top @ 3’11”
Standings after stage 2
1. Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) MCipollini-Giambenini
2. Lauren Hall (USA) Tibco-To The Top @ 52s
3. Valentina Bastianelli (Ita) Vaiano-Tepso @ 1’14”
4. Romy Kasper (Ger) RusVelo @ 1’32”
5. Jamie Bookwalter (USA) United States @ 1’42”