23-year-old Diadora-Pasta Zara rider escapes Silvia Valsecchi in final lap to win tricolore alone
Giada Borgato (Diadora-Pasta Zara) took the Italian road race title alone after escaping breakaway companion Silvia Valsecchi (Be Pink) in the final lap of a hot, hilly race in Pergine Valsugana. Valsecchi, who had initiated the break, held on to take second place, 1’04” behind the new champion, with 2007 World champion Marta Bastianelli (Fiamme Azzurre) outsprinting trade teammate Valentina Carretta (MCipollini-Giambenini) for the bronze medal 2’47” back.
With the strongest teams in the race represented in the breakaway the peloton switched off the chase, and former two-time champion Monia Baccaille (Fiamme Azzurre) won the sprint for fifth some 5’30” behind Borgato.
“I was confident that I can get some good results in my career, but never, never dreamed I would come this far,” said an ecstatic Bortgato after the race. “Now I need to wear this jersey and show myself worthy of it.”
The 23-year-old had considered giving up racing just a few months ago, having had little success in her career to date.
“After five years in the elite I did not have any results,” she explained “I had gone through a bad period; I was sick, then had a big crash, I really wanted to give it all up, I wondered how I could find a job, not having even gone to college because I was racing my bike.
“My family has been very supportive, have convinced me to stick it out, and now I can say that it was worth it,” she added.
The race, which took in seven laps of a hilly circuit around the town of Levico Terme, began relatively gently, with no successful attacks. The combination of the lumpy roads and the high temperatures saw the peloton shrink considerably in the first half however, but all of the favourites were still present by the end of lap three.
On lap four a group of twelve riders broke free, which included Borgato, Valsecchi, Bastianelli and Carretta, as well as Valsecchi’s BePink teammate Simona Frapporti, Bastianelli’s FIamme Azzurre teammate Marta Tagliaferro, former champion Eva Lechner (CS Esercito), Valentina Scandolara (Michela Fanini-Rox), Barbara Guarischi (Fassa Bortolo-Servetto), Alessandra D’Ettorre (GS Forestale), Luisa Tamanini (Faren-Honda) and Chiara Vannucci (Verso l'Iride Maccari Spumanti).
The peloton began to reel them in however, but, before they could be caught, Valsecchi attacked alone and managed to build a lead of more than a minute over a pursuing Bastianelli. In the course of the next lap Borgato and Carretta bridged across to the former World champion, and the three of them continued to try and chase down the lone Be Pink rider.
World champion Giorgia Bronzini (GS Forestale), former rainbow jersey Tatiana Guderzo (Fiamme Azzurre), defending national national Noemi Cantele (Be Pink), and former champions Lechner and Fabiana Luperini (Faren-Honda) were all back in the peloton, but with most of them having teammates up the road, or else having no company in the bunch, the chase dropped and the four attackers’ lead increased.
In the final lap Borgato escaped Bastianelli and Carretta and managed to bridge across to Valsecchi and, in the final kilometres, managed to escape to win her first ever professional race alone.
Result Italian national road race championships
1. Giada Borgato (Ita) Diadora-Pasta Zara
2. Silvia Valsccchi (Ita) Be Pink @ 1’04”
3. Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Fiamme Azzurre @ 2’47”
4. Valentina Carretta (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini @ 2’48”
5. Monia Baccaille (Ita) Fiamme Azzure @ 5’30”
6. Valentina Scandolara (Ita) Michela Fanini-Rox
7. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo-Servetto
8. Alessandra D’Ettorre (Ita) GS Forestale
9. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) Fiamme Azzurre
10. Chiara Vannucci (Ita) Verso l'Iride Maccari Spumanti @ 5’31”