The Giro d’Italia Femminile - the Giro Donne - will get underway in the southern city of Napoli this Friday, June 29th, as the only Grand Tour of the women’s season. In three years out of four the Giro Donne is the biggest race of the year, but many in the race will be riding with one eye on the Olympic Games road race, in London at the end of the month.
The big question for the race however, is surely how dominant 2011 winner Marianne Vos (Rabobank) will be this time. The World number one is the outstanding favourite once again, but also will be in London, and has stated all year that she would not be going all out in the Giro if it would hurt her Olympic chances. Whether she will be at her peak for this week is also a big question, as she only returned to the peloton for the Dutch championships last weekend, having suffered a fractured collarbone at the end of May.
Second place behind Rabobank teammate Annemiek van Vleuten in the championships though - minutes ahead of the rest of the peloton - indicates that the Dutch wonder cannot be far from her best.
Vos’ main rival in 2011 was British climber and time triallist Emma Pooley (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), and it could well be the case again. With a far less mountainous course this time though, the pair will likely have things far less their own way however, with many other contenders challenging for pink.
Leading the charge could well be newly crowned German champion Judith Arndt (Orica-GreenEdge), who finished third last year. The 35-year-old has enjoyed a very strong season to date, with victories in the Ronde van Vlaanderen and the Emakumeen Euskal Bira earlier in the month making her a big favourite for the Giro. With Arndt having moved on in the close season, former teammate Evie Stevens (Specialized-lululemon) could take her own chance for glory this time.
The local challenge could well come from a three-way contest between last year’s best Italian, 2009 World champion Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini-Giambenini), last year’s white jersey Elena Berlato (Fassa Bortolo-Servetto) and five time winner Fabiana Luperini (Faren-Honda). Of the three, Guderzo has shown the best form to date, culminating with her victory in Sunday’s Italian time trial championships, but a stage victory for Luperini in the recent Giro del Trentino shows that she too is ready; Berlato is the biggest unknown, having fractured her collarbone in the second stage of Bira less than a month ago.
The race will provide plenty of opportunities for the sprinters, as well as the climbers, and Vos could well be the rider to beat here once more, should she choose to compete. The other big name will be German über-sprinter Ina Teutenberg (Specialized-lululemon), who was the only rider to outpace the Dutchwoman last time.
World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Diadora-Pasta Zara) is looking for her first stage win in her home tour since 2007, while Commonwealth champion Rochelle Gilmore (Faren-Honda) will be looking for some redemption after fracturing her pelvis in last years race, as well as proving a point to the Australian selectors after missing out on the Olympic Games.
Despite being one day shorter than last year’s edition, the Giro Donne - at nine days - is still the longest race of the women’s season. Despite the presence of the Olympic Games at the end of the month, the race will be one of the most hotly contested of the year.
Giro d’Italia Femminile, Jun 29th - July 7th 2012 (2.1)
Stages
29 June: Napoli - Terracina (LT) 139km
30 June: Roma - Roma ITT 8km
1 July: Montecatini (PT) - Montecatini (PT) 99km
2 July: Vernio (PO) - Castiglione dei Pepoli (BO) 126km
3 July: Polesella (RO) - Molinella (BO) 126km
4 July: Modena - Salsomaggiore (PR) 124km
5 July: Salice Terme (PV) - Castagnole delle Lanze (AT) 120km
6 July: Crugnola di Mornago (VA) - Lonate Pozzolo (VA) 117km
7 July: Sarnico (BG) - Bergamo 108km
Start list
Stichting Rabobank Team
1. Marianne Vos (Ned)
2. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus)
3. Liesbet De Vocht (Bel)
4. Lauren Kitchen (Aus)
5. Sanne van Paassen (Ned)
6. Roxane Knetemann (Ned)
7. Iris Slappendel (Ned)
8. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned)
AA Drink-Leontien.nl
11. Emma Pooley (GBr)
12. Lucinda Brand (Ned)
13. Jessie Daams (Bel)
14. Marieke can Wanroij (Ned)
15. Sharon Laws (GBr)
16. Shelley Olds (USA)
17. Lucy Martin (GBr)
18. Carla Ryan (Aus)
Lotto-Belisol Ladies
21. Robyn De Groot (RSA)
22. Ludovine Henrion (Bel)
23. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA)
24. Cherise Taylor (RSA)
25. Joanna Van De Winkel (RSA)
27. Lise Olivier (RSA)
28. Ann Sofie Duyck (Bel)
Orica-GreenEdge
31. Claudia Häusler (Ger)
32. Judith Arndt (Ger)
33. Shara Gillow (Aus)
34. Loes Gunnewijk (Ned)
35. Linda Villumsen (NZl)
36. Jessie MacLean (Aus)
37. Amanda Spratt (Aus)
38. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus)
RusVelo
41. Evgeniya Romanyuta (Rus)
42. Natalia Boyarskaya (Rus)
44. Romy Kasper (Ger)
45. Alina Bondarenko (Rus)
46. Hanka Kupfernagel (Ger)
47. Irina Molicheva (Rus)
48. Olga Zabelinskaya (Rus)
Hitec Products-Mistral Home
51. Emma Johansson (Swe)
52. Sara Mustonen (Swe)
53. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita)
54. Lise Nøstvold (Nor)
55. Frødis Wærsted (Nor)
56. Christel Ferrier Bruneau (Fra)
57. Sylwia Kapusta (Pol)
Faren-Honda Team
61. Nicole Cooke (GBr)
62. Myfanwy Galloway (Aus)
63. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus)
64. Gracie Elvin (Aus)
65. Giuseppina Grassi (Mex)
66. Jennifer Hohl (Swi)
67. Fabiana Luperini (Ita)
68. Yulia Blindyuk (Rus)
Vaiano Tepso
71. Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu)
72. Alona Andruk (Ukr)
73. Valentina Bastianelli (Ita)
74. Katarzyna Sosna (Ltu)
75. Aleksandra Sosenko (Ukr)
76. Eleonora Spaliviero (Ita)
77. Alessia Martini (Ita)
78. Anna Trevisi (Ita)
Netherlands National Team
81. Martine Bras (Ned)
82. Adrie Visser (Ned)
83. Charlotte Lenting (Ned)
84. Birgit Lavrijssen (Ned)
85. Anna van der Breggen (Ned)
86. Kim de Baat (Ned)
87. Julia Soek (Ned)
MCipollini-Giambenini
91. Monia Baccaille (Ita)
92. Marta Bastianelli (Ita)
93. Alessandra Borchi (Ita)
94. Valentina Carretta (Ita)
95. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita)
96. Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol)
97. Marta Tagliaferro (Ita)
98. Susanna Zorzi (Ita)
Diadora-Pasta Zara
101. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita)
102. Giada Borgato (Ita)
103. Inga Cilvinaite (Ltu)
104. Alessandra D’Ettorre (Ita)
105. Edita Janeliunaite (Ltu)
106. Amber Pierce (USA)
107. Ange Silinyte (Ltu)
108. Francesca Stefani (Ita)
Be Pink
111. Noemi Cantele (Ita)
112. Alena Amialiusik (Blr)
113. Silvia Valsecchi (Ita)
114. Simone Frapporti (Ita)
115. Julia Martisova (Rus)
116. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus)
117. Elke Gebhardt (Ger)
118. Petra Zrimsek (Slo)
Michela Fanini-Rox
121. Grete Treier (Est)
122. Alexsandra Burchenkova (Rus)
123. Martina Ruzickova (Cze)
124. Ella Michal (Isr)
125. Veronica Leal Balderas (Mex)
126. Valentina Scandolara (Ita)
127. Lorena Foresi (Ita)
128. Sara Grifi (Ita)
Fassa Bortolo-Servetto
131. Elena Berlato (Ita)
132. Francesca Cauz (Ita)
133. Erika Cecchel (Ita)
134. Jennifer Fiori (Ita)
135. Viviana Gatto (Ita)
136. Barbara Guarischi (Ita)
137. Doris Schweizer (Swi)
Verinlegno-Fabiani
141. Odette Bertolin (Ita)
143. Rossella Ratto (Ita)
145. Barbara Venerito (Ita)
146. Lara Vieceli (Ita)
147. Fleur Faure (Fra)
148. Dorota Gregorowicz (Pol)
Specialized-lululemon
151. Ina Teutenberg (Ger)
152. Lisa Brennauer (Ger)
153. Chloe Hosking (Aus)
154. Katie Colclough (GBr)
155. Charlotte Becker (Ger)
156. Clara Hughes (Can)
157. Ally Stacher (USA)
158. Evelyn Stevens (USA)
Forno d’Asolo-Colavita
161. Anastasiya Chulkova (Rus)
162. Svetlana Pauliukaite (Ltu)
163. Whitney Gaggioli (USA)
164. Uenia Fernandes da Souza (Bra)
165. Liza Rachetto (USA)
166. Patricia Schwager (Swi)
167. Tetyana Riabchenko (Ukr)
168. Sari Saarelainen (Fin)