Shelley Olds (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) celebrated her country’s national day, raised her Olympic hopes, and justified her place in the United States team for London 2012, with a sprint victory at the end of the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia Femminile, between Modena and Salsomaggiore Terme. The American sprinter managed to condemn race leader Marianne Vos (Rabobank) to a rare second place, with world champion Giorgia Bronzini (Diadora-Pasta Zara) third.
“This victory is most certainly in the top three of most beautiful wins of my career,” said Olds - who won this year’s Chongming Island World Cup. “I am just over the moon.
"The approach to the sprint was hectic and chaotic,” she continued. “Emma [Pooley] did everything to me from three kilometres from the line and it all worked perfectly. Sharon Laws then worked for me and in the finale it was all or nothing. I got on Vos’ wheel, who everyone knows is the woman to beat.
“By waiting as long as I could I saved myself for the final jump, fifty metres from the line.”
With the majority of the peloton arriving together, there were no changes to the overall classification.
A big break goes but the sprinters want this one too much
The 109km stage featured a 13-rider breakaway, which included Olds, along with Liesbet De Vocht and Lauren Kitchen (Rabobank), Shara Gillow and Leos Gunnewijk (Orica-GreenEdge), Lise Nøstvold (Hitec Products-Mistral Home), Jennifer Hohl (Faren-Honda), Marta Bastianelli and Susanna Zorzi (MCipollini-Giambenini), Inga Cilvinaite (Diadora-Pasta Zara), Simona Frapporti (Be Pink), Valentina Scandolara (Michela Fanini-Rox) and Lisa Brennauer (Specialized-lululemon).
The group escaped after 20km, but was not able to get more than 35 seconds clear, and the race was all together again after 52km. The second half of the stage saw the sprinters’ teams take full control and no riders were able to escape again.
Vos led onto the uphill finishing straight, but Olds was tucked in behind the World number one and managed to come around in the final metres to take a 4th of July victory. With time bonuses on the line Vos increased her overall lead over second place Evie Stevens (Specialized-lululemon) to 1’44”, and is seemingly heading for a second straight victory in the biggest tour of the year.
Giro Donne stage 6:
1. Shelley Olds (USA) AA Drink-Leontien.nl
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Stichting Rabobank
3. Giogia Bronzini (Ita) Diadora-Pasta Zara
4. Monia Baccaille (Ita) MCipollini-Giambenini
5. Judith Arndt (Ger) Orica-GreenEdge
6. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-Mistral Home
7. Adrie Visser (Ned) Netherlands National Team
8. Alena Amialyusik (Blr) Be Pink
9. Cherise Taylor (RSA) Lotto-Belisol
10. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Faren-Honda
Standings after stage 6
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Stichting Rabobank
2. Evelyn Stevens (USA) Specialized-lululemon @ 1’44”
3. Emma Pooley (GBr) AA Drink Leontien.nl @ 2’20”
4. Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Faren-Honda Team @ 2’57”
5. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge @ 4’06”
6. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) MCipollini Giambenini @ 4’14”
7. Claudia Hausler (Ger) GreenEdge @ 4’21”
8. Judith Arndt (Ger) Orica-GreenEdge @ 4’31”
9. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Hitec Products Mistral @ 5’15”
10. Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) Lotto-Belisol @ 5’20”