Giro d'Italia 2025 Giro d'Italia Women, July 6-13

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't think this is enough of a gap but Smulders is looking like she's timed it pretty well. If Reusser isn't feeling it today then it may well be a situation where she can escape for the win simply because the GC mix is happy with the status quo and so the small group come in together, but Smulders really doesn't have much to work with in terms of time. The fact that the ones best placed to gain are largely the worst descenders of the GC mix here probably is a factor to bear in mind as well.

Gigante has got on the front, the climb isn't really long enough to break everything but she has cut it down to the main GC elites ratherr than the group of 20-30 or so that it was.

 

[yaco]

I don't think this is enough of a gap but Smulders is looking like she's timed it pretty well. If Reusser isn't feeling it today then it may well be a situation where she can escape for the win simply because the GC mix is happy with the status quo and so the small group come in together, but Smulders really doesn't have much to work with in terms of time. The fact that the ones best placed to gain are largely the worst descenders of the GC mix here probably is a factor to bear in mind as well.

Gigante has got on the front, the climb isn't really long enough to break everything but she has cut it down to the main GC elites ratherr than the group of 20-30 or so that it was.

This is the difference between the men's peleton. In the mens peleton they would have let Smulders go, seeing the gaps in GC, but its different in the women's peleton.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Split in the group on the descent after van der Breggen attacks and Reusser chases, it'll come back together but FFS Gigante and Rooijakkers (of course it would be those two) caught out behind the split due to poor placing.

Interesting that they let Anna go here, she must surely know that Lippert isn't going to contribute one iota. They have the distance they should have to sprint it, and surely, surely Lippert should take this? Anna's a tougher nut to crack than Rooijakkers in a sprint, but you'd surely back Liane even before she sat on all the way?

Yup, there's the stage win. Reusser gets 4" bonuses at the line but couldn't - and never really looked like she could - distance ELB.

Van der Breggen gains 15 seconds or so with the time bonuses but it won't be enough to move up a spot in GC.

 

[awavey]

not sure why vdb just towed Lippert to the line, seemed obvious she was going to lose out in the sprint,

 

[yaco]

I am still surprised the GC riders chased Smulders when they had nothing to gain. You let Smulders win or you bring it back and Lippert is the fastest. Bizarre tactics.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I am still surprised the GC riders chased Smulders when they had nothing to gain. You let Smulders win or you bring it back and Lippert is the fastest. Bizarre tactics.

It was Gigante that did the damage, it seemed like ELB, Marlen and most of the others were happy to let Smulders hang out there. Not sure what Gigante expected of upping the pace like that unless she was very worried about losing time on the descent (not unreasonable for her) but she had a margin of nearly 2 minutes down to 4th.

Lippert's post-race interview revealed that Reusser has been ill, which possibly explains yesterday and might give a reason why Gigante might have tried something to see if she could jump up a spot on the GC, but it was a very odd one because it was far too late for her to reasonably gain the time she needed especially as Reusser is a better descender than her.

Also it's odd that van der Breggen persisted when she knew Lippert was in her wheel, it should have been patently obvious that Liane wasn't going to contribute when they escaped so close to the finish, and for her part it looked like van der Breggen didn't even ask or consider asking her to, yet Anna needed 30 seconds plus the time bonuses to get past Niedermaier on the GC, I can imagine that was feasible from the first move she made but not from the second, yet she persisted, and all she ended up doing was providing Lippert with a top drawer leadout.

Lippert is turning into a sort of female Julien Alaphilippe (peak era); she will be just about the fastest of a climbers' group left over (unless one of the bulldozers like Kopecky who have the size and build of rouleuses but climb at a much higher level than that make it) and win sprints in stages like this, and she will always just about be viable as a GC threat pre-race, but doesn't seem to be reliable enough day by day to contest the GC outright at these high mountain races. But then, the same was true of ELB for the first decade or so of her career, always having a bad day at the Giro and performing with results below her capabilities for years as a result. And the ELB of back then couldn't salvage the race with stage wins the way Lippert has unless she got a solo escape either. Obviously ELB is a far, far more complete rider nowadays than she was back then, and has got past that weakness, maybe Liane can one day too.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

 

[awavey]

Loving HPH cyclings promo for today's stage, somebody's social media manager was on message at least

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[Mina.S]

A very intense, interesting race. Really interested in what this means for the tour. I think it has swayed me more towards Demi and maybe ELB? Although Demi's support is not looking very convincing. Would love it if teams put our squads like in the mens.

 

[42x16ss]

It was Gigante that did the damage, it seemed like ELB, Marlen and most of the others were happy to let Smulders hang out there. Not sure what Gigante expected of upping the pace like that unless she was very worried about losing time on the descent (not unreasonable for her) but she had a margin of nearly 2 minutes down to 4th.

Lippert's post-race interview revealed that Reusser has been ill, which possibly explains yesterday and might give a reason why Gigante might have tried something to see if she could jump up a spot on the GC, but it was a very odd one because it was far too late for her to reasonably gain the time she needed especially as Reusser is a better descender than her.

Also it's odd that van der Breggen persisted when she knew Lippert was in her wheel, it should have been patently obvious that Liane wasn't going to contribute when they escaped so close to the finish, and for her part it looked like van der Breggen didn't even ask or consider asking her to, yet Anna needed 30 seconds plus the time bonuses to get past Niedermaier on the GC, I can imagine that was feasible from the first move she made but not from the second, yet she persisted, and all she ended up doing was providing Lippert with a top drawer leadout.

Lippert is turning into a sort of female Julien Alaphilippe (peak era); she will be just about the fastest of a climbers' group left over (unless one of the bulldozers like Kopecky who have the size and build of rouleuses but climb at a much higher level than that make it) and win sprints in stages like this, and she will always just about be viable as a GC threat pre-race, but doesn't seem to be reliable enough day by day to contest the GC outright at these high mountain races. But then, the same was true of ELB for the first decade or so of her career, always having a bad day at the Giro and performing with results below her capabilities for years as a result. And the ELB of back then couldn't salvage the race with stage wins the way Lippert has unless she got a solo escape either. Obviously ELB is a far, far more complete rider nowadays than she was back then, and has got past that weakness, maybe Liane can one day too.

Gigante is a true racer. Despite her demeanour and bike handling limitations, if she smells blood she'll try to strike. Reusser being slightly unwell explains her teams actions

 

[yaco]

Gigante is a true racer. Despite her demeanour and bike handling limitations, if she smells blood she'll try to strike. Reusser being slightly unwell explains her teams actions

Australia needs to start preparing for the World's with its suitable parcours. They can make a good team.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Gigante is a true racer. Despite her demeanour and bike handling limitations, if she smells blood she'll try to strike. Reusser being slightly unwell explains her teams actions

Only problem is that by the time she went it was too late to gain the kind of time she needed, given that most of the way in from there was downhill. Either Reusser bluffed it long enough to preserve her position or Gigante left it too late to gain all of the time that she needed to pass Reusser on the GC (as it would have taken an absolute pajará or a crash for Marlen to lose a minute from there especially bearing in mind Lippert would have been called on to pace her if there was any real jeopardy), with the time gap down to 4th being so safe potentially going on the penultimate climb would have been better, but I think maybe at that point she felt the group was still a bit too large at that point and too many domestiques and secondary riders were still there for it to be decisive?