The 11th Giro dell’Emilia Internazionale Donne takes place on October 5, starting in Vignola and finishing in Bologna at the Sanctuary of San Luca. The centuries-old San Luca is not only an iconic symbol for the city of Bologna, but also for riders, who will face its steep ramps – up to 20% – in the final 2.1 kilometers. Past winners of this autumn Classic include Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Elisa Longo Borghini, Mavi García, and Demi Vollering.
The winner receives a giant Bologna sausage (image: giro dell’emilia)
Course Profile (113.8 km)
The route is relatively flat until the last 10 kilometers (km 102.5), when the riders hit the first few hundred meters of the San Luca climb, which has an average gradient of 9.4% and ramps that top out at 15-20%. With such a gradient, this climb is often where the race is decided.The peloton will tackle the San Luca twice. The first ascent up will be the beginning of a 9.2km loop that will bring them back to the base of the San Luca for the second and final climb to the finish.
After the riders cross the line on the first ascent, there’s a short descent, and then the riders hit Monte Albano (1.2 km/5.5%). This is not a major climb, but it could be an ideal point for riders to make an attack, especially those who might profit from the 5 km descent that follows. Riders who can gain time on Mount Albano, the descent, or both, will have an advantage going into the final climb up San Luca to the finish. But it won’t be an easy task to break free of the peloton.
The San Luca is made even trickier with the steep gradients in the middle, which hit 16%, 17%, and 15%. There are also some challenging sections not on the course profile, like the Orfanelle curve in the last kilometer, where riders will hit a straightaway of 200 meters that ramps up to almost 20%.
The last meters to the line won’t be easy, either. With 550 meters to go, the climbs flattens out to 5% for 200 meters, but then quickly goes back up to 7%, 10% and 9% for 300 meters. It’s not until the last 50 meters or so that it flattens out again to 4-5%. Riders who misjudge these last 550 meters and don’t pace themselves, could easily blow up and lose the race.
(source: mycols.app)
Riders to Watch
9 WorldTour teams are scheduled to line up on Saturday, along with 13 Continental-level teams. Even though the race is a Pro race, not a WorldTour race, it will still be highly competitive, as demonstrated by the caliber of past winners: Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Elisa Longo Borghini, Mavi García, and Demi Vollering.
As the defending champ from last year, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) should be one of the favorites going into this race, as she was also the winner in 2020 and placed 2nd in 2018, just behind Anna van der Breggen. So, she knows this race and what it takes to win. But the big question mark is her form. After fracturing her sacrum in a crash at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, she required 3 months of recovery, and since then she hasn’t performed at her usual level. It could be that her form is coming around now and that she’ll find her mojo on San Luca. But more than likely, she’ll have better luck in 2025.
Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) is the real favorite going into this race, having won it in 2015, 2016, 2022. Her form at the recent World Championships netted her a bronze medal in the road race, and this past spring she was third at La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, the only other race that can compare to Giro dell’Emilia. She and her teammate,
There are a number of other riders who could make it difficult for Longo Borghini and Lidl-Trek, like Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) who won in 2021 and Juliette Labous ( shouldn’t forget Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), who has had a great season, placing 3rd overall at Tour de France Femmes, 4th overall at Giro d’Italia Women, and 6th at Flèche Wallonne Féminine.
Others that could be in the mix are Cat Ferguson (Movistar), who has been in super form since her win at the Junior World Championships and at Binche Chimay Binche, Évita Muzic (FDJ -SUEZ), Liane Lippert (Movistar), Cédrine Kerbaol (CERATIZIT-WNT), and Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ).
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig won in 2023 and hopes to repeat again this year (photo: FDJ-SUEZ)