Highlights Giro d’Italia Women – Stage 6
Neve Bradbury of Canyon-SRAM emerged victorious on the grueling ascent of Blockhaus in Stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia Women. Her solo win was a great tactical move by the Canyon//Sram team who also had Antonia Niedermaier in the leading group to Blockhaus. Her first ever win was a sweet one ahead of Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Longo Borghini.
Another hot day in the Giro d’Italia Women as the temperatures rose above the 38 degrees Celcius at the start podium in Lanciano, just south of Pescara. After the start the fireworks started with some attacks early on in the stage. The peloton was controlling any break that was about to happen. Claire Steels of Movistar escaped the peloton and trying to go solo. She got noet even e minute before she was reeled back in. The relentless pace and searing heat took their toll, with numerous riders dropping out or losing contact with the main group.
The Battle Begins:
The stage culminated with the infamous Blockhaus climb, a 16.5 km ascent with an average gradient of 7.9%. As the riders approached the climb, the group was whittled down to the strongest contenders having only 8 riders start the climb. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) Neve Bradbury, Antonia niedermaier, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Juliette Labous Erica Magnaldi and Paulina Rooijakers were the 8 riders in the lead, with Longo Borghini launching several attacks in a bid to shake off her rivals.
Magnaldi was the first to drop together with LaBous and Uttrup Ludwig. The French Labous rode like a diesel and came back several times before dropped in the final 6km.
4 riders remaining. Longo Borghini, Kopecky, Rooijakkers and Bradbury when Niedermaier was dropped as well.
Neve Bradbury attacked with about 4 kilometers remaining, creating a gap that the chasing group couldn’t close. Her acceleration proved decisive as she powered up the steep gradients of Blockhaus, distancing herself from the elite group behind.Behind her Rooijakkers tried to attack several times but saw Longo Borghini and Kopecky counter. Now Longo Borghini tried to drop Rooijkkers with success.
But despite multiple efforts, Elisa Longo Borghini couldn’t drop Lotte Kopecky. Pauliena Rooijakkers (FDJ-Suez) managed to rejoin the duo, but none could match Bradbury’s relentless pace. In the final meters, Kopecky outsprinted Longo Borghini to take second place, while Longo Borghini settled for third, maintaining her overall lead in the general classification.
Quotes from the Riders
Neve Bradbury:
“Winning on Blockhaus is a dream come true. I knew I had to time my attack perfectly, and I’m thrilled it paid off. The support from my team was incredible, and this victory is for them,” Bradbury shared after the stage.
Lotte Kopecky:
“I gave it everything today. Elisa was incredibly strong, but I managed to hang on and sprint for second. It’s a great result, and I’m looking forward to the next stages,” Kopecky commented, reflecting on her performance.
Elisa Longo Borghini
“It was a tough day, and Neve was exceptional. I tried to drop Lotte, but she was very resilient. I’m still in the Maglia Rosa, and we’ll keep fighting in the coming stages,” said Longo Borghini, acknowledging the challenge ahead to maintain her lead.
Looking Ahead
Tomorrow’s last stage will decide who will win the Maglia Rosa and the Giro d’Italia Women 2024