World champion building for another World title defence; Marta Tagliaferro into pink
Giorgia Bronzini (Diadora-Pasta Zara) won the first stage of the Premondiale Giro Toscana-Memorial Michela Fanini between Porcari and Viareggio in a bunch sprint. The World champion was by far the fastest at the end of the 105km stage, which took the peloton from east of the city of Lucca to the Tyrrhenian coastline, beating Marta Tagliaferro (MCipollini-Giambenini) and her own Diadora-Pasta Zara teammate, Italian champion Giada Borgato into second and third.
Time bonuses taken on the finish line, plus those taken at the first intermediate sprint of the day, saw Tagliaferro take over the leader’s pink jersey from prologue winner Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabobank).
A fast pace on the predominantly flat course saw the peloton still together at the end of the second starting lap around Porcari. Tagliaferro took the intermediate sprint – with the three second time bonus cutting her deficit to van Vleuten from five to two seconds, and moving her into second overall – ahead of American Carmen Small (United States) and Yulia Iliynikh (Lointek).
The one classified climb of the day – the 2nd category Monte Quiesa – was taken by Estonian champion Greta Treier (Michela Fanini-Rox), ahead of five-time Giro Donne winner Fabiana Luperini (Faren-Honda) and Natalia Boyarskaya (RusVelo), to take the first green jersey of the race, but the peloton all came back together for the flat run to the coast.
On the flat circuit around the 19.9km circuit around Viareggio former World champion Marta Bastianelli (MCipollini-Giambenini) tried to get away, but van Vleuten’s Rabobank team was determined to hold the peloton together. On the seafront sprint though, it was Bronzini that was the fastest, taking her eighth career stage victory in the pre-Worlds race, as she prepares to defend her rainbow jersey once again.
Result stage 1
1. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Diadora-Pasta Zara
2. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini
3. Giada Borgato (Ita) Diadora-Pasta Zara
4. Valentina Scandolara (Ita) Michela Fanini-Rox
5. Simona Frapporti (Ita) Be Pink
6. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Stichting Rabobank
7. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo-Servetto
8. Romy Kasper (Ger) RusVelo
9. Jessie MacLean (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
10. Julia Martisova (Rus) Be Pink
Standings after stage 1
1. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini
2. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Stichting Rabobank @ 4s
3. Megan Guarnier (USA) Tibco-To The Top @ 5s
4. Alexandra Burchenkova (Rus) Michela Fanini-Rox @ 8s
5. Rossella Ratto (Ita) Verinlegno-Fabiani @ 9s