Tappa e Giro for US champion on the legendary pass as she outclimbs everyone once moreMara Abbott (United States) won the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia Femminile between Livigno and the Passo dello Stelvio. The US champion took her second mountain stage win in as many days over the short, but brutal, 68.5km course to the top of the legendary 2725m high pass. Just as in the previous day’s stage British champion Emma Pooley (Cervélo TestTeam) finished in second place, 27 seconds behind Abbott; and once again Judith Arndt (HTC-Coumbia) got the better of World champion Tatiana Guderzo (Team Valdarno) in the race for third.

“Our objective was first of all to control the race from the beginning,” said a delighted Abbot at the finish, “so we put our girls on the front on the first climb of the day. Then I responded well when the final selection came on the final terrible climb.

“When I realised that I could go better than Pooley I tried to attack when we were 2km from the finish,” she continued. “It’s a super victory, one that you get to take very few times in your life, in a place as mythical as the Stelvio.

“It’s a victory that I dedicate to the team,” she added. “We prepared for the Giro Donne as our first big target of the year and to get the finish in pink is a reward for the great work that we’ve done so far. After my second place last year, and the stage victory to Monte Serra [where she also beat Pooley into second place] two victories in Livigno and Stelvio can’t be beaten.

“Just one stage from the end of the race and victory in the Giro!” she added.

Pooley led the race over the first climb, the 2069m Trepalle, collecting more points in the race for the green mountains jersey. A crash on the descent though saw former World time trial champion Amber Neben (United States) forced to abandon the race for a second successive year.

A group of 15 riders began the long climb to the finish, but after just a few kilometres this number was reduced to the five best climbers of the race: Abbott, Pooley, Arndt and Guderzo, along with Pooley’s Cervélo teammate Claudia Häusler, the defending race champion.

The first attack came from Pooley, which only Abbott was able to follow, and just like in yesterday’s stage the two outstanding climbers of the race quickly distanced the others. Behind them the chase was reinforced by the arrival of Guderzo’s teammates Tatiana Antoshina and Evgeniya Vytotska, but they were able to make no real impression on the duo up front.

At 2km from the top, Abbott put in an acceleration that Pooley was unable to respond to and she opened up a 20 second gap that was to prove decisive. By the finish that gap had opened slightly to 27 seconds over the Briton, with Arndt leading the chasers home.

With only tomorrow’s final, largely ceremonial, stage to Monza remaining, Abbott has all but secured victory in what is regarded as the hardest Giro Donne for many years. She has a comfortable cushion of 2’08” over nearest challenger Arndt, which should preclude any attacks on the overall classification in a stage that will almost certainly be left to the sprinters.

Result
1. Mara Abbott (USA) United States National Team
2. Emma Pooley (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam @ 27s
3. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Columbia @ 1’43”
4. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Team Valdarno @ 1’50”
5. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Team Valdarno @ 2’58”
6. Evgeniya Vysotska (Ukr) Team Valdarno @ 3’27”
7. Claudia Häusler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam @ 3’38”
8. Edwige Pitel (Fra) Michela Fanini-Record-Rox @ 5’55”
9. Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus) Safi-Pasta Zara @ 7’14”
10. Marianne Vos (Ned) Netherlands National Team @ 7’44”

Standings after stage 7
1. Mara Abbott (USA) United States National Team
2. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Columbia 2’08”
3. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Team Valdarno @ 3’05”
4. Claudia Häusler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam @ 5’29”
5. Emma Pooley (GBr) Cervélo TestTeam @ 6’53”