Megan Guarnier wins the Giro Rosa
Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) won the overall of the Giro Rosa, with teammate Evie Stevens taking second and Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv) in third. The final stage was won by Rabo-Liv’s Thalita de Jong took the final stage win.
Nine leaders escaped the peloton, among them Riejanne Markus (Liv-Plantur), the third time in a break this race, last year’s stage 6 winner Mayuko Hagiwara (Wiggle-High5) and Maria Giuli Confalonieri (Lensworld-Zannata), who finished on the podium twice in the 2016 Giro Rosa already and was obviously looking for a third podium place when joining the break.
A group of six riders wanted to bridge the gap to the lead group, but ended up in a chasse patate and were brought back by the peloton at kilometer 70. Rabo-Liv’s Lucinda Brand, who’s been practicing her bunch sprints this Giro Rosa, and Canyon-SRAM’s Barbara Guarischi, 2015 Giro Rosa stage 1 winner, were represented in that group.
The GPM climb reduced the lead group to six riders, but Rabo-Liv’s Thalita de Jong didn’t wait for the sprint and left them behind on the descent.
After three podium places for Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv), one for teammate Kasia Niewiadoma and a second place for De Jong herself in the prologue, the world cyclocross champion finally delivered Rabo-Liv a last-minute stage win in the 2016 Giro Rosa. A couple of minutes later, Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) crossed the finish line, knowing she did it!
Final general classification:
| 1 | Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans) |
22:42:40 |
| 2 | Evelyn Stevens (Boels Dolmans) |
+34” |
| 3 | Anna Van Der Breggen (Rabo Liv) |
+01’53” |
| 4 | Claudia Lichtenberg (Lotto Soudal) |
+02’33” |
| 5 | Mara Abbott (Wiggle High5) |
+02’38” |
| 6 | Tatiana Guderzo (Hitec Products) |
+03’05” |
| 7 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Rabo Liv) |
+06’48” |
| 8 | Leah Kirchmann (Liv-Plantur) |
+15’17” |
| 9 | Alena Amialiusik (Canyon SRAM) |
+16’18” |
| 10 | Kseniya Tuhai (Bepink) |
+16’20” |
| 11 | Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5) |
+16’39” |
| 12 | Tetiana Riabchenko (INPA – Bianchi) |
+20’01” |
| 13 | Yevgeniya Vysotska (Hagens Berman-Supoermint) |
+21’37” |
| 14 | Doris Schweizer (Cylance Pro Cycling) |
+22’03” |
| 15 | Karol-Ann Canuel (Boels Dolmans) |
+24’03” |
| 16 | Margarita Victoria Garcia (Bizkaia – Durango) |
+27’08” |
| 17 | Alice Maria Arzuffi (Lensworld-Zannata) |
+27’32” |
| 18 | Malgorzta Jasinska (Ale’ Cipollini) |
+29’39” |
| 19 | Thalita De Jong (Rabo Liv) |
+31’29” |
| 20 | Rasa Leleivyte (Aromitalia Vaiano) |
+31’47” |
