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

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TourOfSardinia

TourOfSardinia

Feb 16, 2010
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Samu Cuenca

Samu Cuenca

Sep 26, 2020
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Sadly I've been unable to watch this because RAI wouldn't acknowledge that I'm in Italy at the moment. Well it is because I am indeed not there, but I could be there a week from now. That should count.

I had hoped Miermont could defend it for France, but it wasn't to be, and Henderson took it all.
A smaller group survived than last time, but it included some riders I wasn't sure would make it. Vos lost too much energy from swapping shoes earlier. I hope Van der Breggen is okay after that crash that took out Marturano.
 
Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
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theyoungest said:
Anna Henderson, a rider who was due a win. Well-played.

What a poor performance from Kopecky. If she's not even able to follow a 20-30 rider group on what was essentially a false flat, doesn't bode well for her chances at the Tour.
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To be fair, there's some pretty strong climbers who were in that same group as her. Liane Lippert, Évita Muzic, Ane Santestebán, Usoa Ostolaza, Mareille Meijering and Petra Stiasny (hi Samu) among others. Some of those you'd definitely expect to make the cut, and for Lippert and Meijering in particular, the fact Reusser was left alone in the front group shows that it wasn't likely they were soft-pedalling things either (although they obviously wouldn't have wanted to contribute into minimising losses once they were dropped. The same also goes for Muzic with Labous as leader and sole FDJ rider up front and could also be argued for Kopecky and Häberlin vis-à-vis Anna van der Breggen). Getting dropped is bad, but the amount of time lost is probably exaggerated by the circumstances regarding having riders in the group ahead.

And tbh, it may just be that for riders targeting the Tour, they're just not in form yet, or the climb might just not have suited them. I'd expect it to have suited Kopecky more, but it may just be that her form isn't meant to be at its highest just yet if her main goal is three weeks away. She's seemed like even below-her-best Kopecky is super strong in the last couple of years, but the mountains do still remain the area where she's least proven as it's a relatively late development in her skillset.
 
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Samu Cuenca

Samu Cuenca

Sep 26, 2020
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Libertine Seguros said:
To be fair, there's some pretty strong climbers who were in that same group as her. Liane Lippert, Évita Muzic, Ane Santestebán, Usoa Ostolaza, Mareille Meijering and Petra Stiasny (hi Samu) among others. Some of those you'd definitely expect to make the cut, and for Lippert and Meijering in particular, the fact Reusser was left alone in the front group shows that it wasn't likely they were soft-pedalling things either (although they obviously wouldn't have wanted to contribute into minimising losses once they were dropped. The same also goes for Muzic with Labous as leader and sole FDJ rider up front and could also be argued for Kopecky and Häberlin vis-à-vis Anna van der Breggen). Getting dropped is bad, but the amount of time lost is probably exaggerated by the circumstances regarding having riders in the group ahead.

And tbh, it may just be that for riders targeting the Tour, they're just not in form yet, or the climb might just not have suited them. I'd expect it to have suited Kopecky more, but it may just be that her form isn't meant to be at its highest just yet if her main goal is three weeks away. She's seemed like even below-her-best Kopecky is super strong in the last couple of years, but the mountains do still remain the area where she's least proven as it's a relatively late development in her skillset.
Click to expand...

And Kopecky of course also ended up losing the race last year on a shorter climb than this one after surviving the hardest mountains. Without her up there in GC this time, it becomes less likely that that race ends in a fight for time bonuses, but it also means that SDW can't play with two horses against Reusser and Longo Borghini.
 
J

JR1012

Jun 19, 2023
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Whoever designed the stage today should be fired. What is the point of having the only climb of the stage at the start and then from the top more then 100km downhill and flat?
 
Samu Cuenca

Samu Cuenca

Sep 26, 2020
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Stage 3: Vezza d’Oglio - Trento, 122 km

Official start at 11:30
Expected finish at around 14:30

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After two GC stages in a row, it's time for the first of the two expected bunch sprints this year's race offers up. Placing such a thing on a Monday is perfectly fine, so no objection from me there.

The start of the stage can't help but make you think back to stage 17 of the men's Giro in 2022. They began the day in Ponte di Legno on that occasion, whereas they are starting further down the mountain today, but the route otherwise the same until they reach Mezzolombardo after 84 km.

While the men then climbed the Giovo from San Michele All'adige and continued across Vetriolo to Lago Caldonazzo before doing Monterovere and finishing in Lavarone, the women will escape the mountains and instead follow the Adige/Etsch river towards Trento. An intermediate sprint in Cles is the only "challenge" to be dealt with in-between Tonale and the finish. There's a slight bend inside the last km, but it doesn't seem to be too noticeable, and a left turn with 300m to go. Can anyone beat Wiebes with Kopecky leading her out? I very much doubt it.

I understand why they aren't skipping Tonale completely, but I don't like that they aren't starting in Edolo and climbing it in full. It's the Cima Alfonsina Strada, so it hands out 25 points to first rider across it. Surely it should then also be the hardest climb of the race. However, I do like that it isn't placed during the final of a stage, but only because the other proper mountains in this race are MTFs. Now it gives a better chance for non-GC riders to win the mountains classification.

Who can we expect to go after the QOM?
Justine Ghekiere and Elise Chabbey aren't here, but another usual suspect in Lucinda Brand is. However, I'm not sure she is climbing well enough to survive to the top of Tonale. An uphill start should suit Petra Stiasny (hello LS), but question is whether she will make it to the front of the peloton before the break ahs gone. There were of course also many other decent climbers that lost time yesterday who may now switch their attention to this competition instead.
 
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