Biggest challenge of 2018 coming up for Movistar Team at Giro Rosa
02 July 2018

Italian stagerace's preview

Jorge Sanz-directed squad brings its top team for ten-day competition, with two time trials -a mountain ITT and an opening TTT- and plenty of big climbs, including the legendary Monte Zoncolan (Saturday 14th).

GIRO ROSA GUIDE | All info on the Italian women’s stagerace

After brilliant performances in the recent National Championships, where they notched up five titles in six competitions across Spain, France and Poland, the women’s Movistar Team faces with high morale a long-awaited challenge in its 2018 season: the 29th Giro d’Italia Femminile Internazionale (UCI Women’s WorldTour), a ten-day stagerace from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th July.

For the popularly known as Giro Rosa, the squad directed by Jorge Sanz will lineup all four women who conquered June’s jerseys: Mavi GarcíaSpanish ITT champion-, Małgorzata Jasińska -winner of both Polish races-, Eider Merinored-yellow holder after her gold medal performance in Castellón’s road race- and Aude Biannic, last Saturday’s winner in the French road race. Also in the lineup will be Gloria Rodríguez -vice Spanish RR champ in Culla-, Rachel Neylan and Lorena Llamas.

The Giro will be divided into two parts (Race Guide). A 15km team time trial in Verbania (Friday 6th) and three stages for sprinters and attackers will preceed some early major climbs -Lesa (Cat-2), before Omegna’s finish, on Tuesday 10th; and Gerola Alta’s mountain-top finish on Wednesday 11th- and the decisive, grueling trio of tough mountain stages: a 15km ITT woards Alpe Gera di Campo Moro (Thursday 12th); the legendary Monte Zoncolan (10km at 12% average), on Saturday 14th; and the ‘salita’ of San Leonardo (Cat-1) before the last finish line in Cividale del Friuli (Sunday 15th).