Jasinska (15th), García, Merino in the mix at Trofeo Binda
24 March 2019

UCI Women's WorldTour

Movistar Team trio inside selected bunch after flurry of attacks in demanding final laps around Cittiglio, venue for the third round of the WorldTour.

Former World champion Marianne Vos (CCC) took the victory at Sunday’s 2019 Trofeo Alfredo Binda, third round of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, over 131km of hilly roads around Cittiglio, Lombardy. A group in excess of 30 riders reached the finish line together, after the four climbs to Orino (3km, 6%) split the favourites’ group yet did not avoid some of the sprinters’ teams making the junction possible in the end.

Well supported until the last two laps by González, Biannic and Sheyla Gutiérrez -the Rioja native notably active in pursuit of the different moves-, the two main climbers from the Movistar Team -Eider Merino and Mavi García- sought to bring the Blues a good result together with the perennial reference for Jorge Sanz’s group at one-day races: Małgorzata Jasińska.

The Movistar Team at the sign-on in Taino.

Notably present in the flurry of attacks before the final two laps, ‘Jasi’ then held on on the Orino climbs to a second group pursuing a dozen leaders, with Merino supporting Mavi García. The Spanish TT Champion was just few meters short on the final ascent to staying with an elite, eight-woman lead group -including Vos, Amanda Spratt (MTS, 2nd) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (BIG, 3rd)-, caught with just 500 meters to go.

Eventually, the Blues’ fighting spirit went unrewarded after García wasn’t able to keep her coveted top-ten position into the last turn. Jasińska took a decent 15th spot -with García in 24th, Merino in 30th- before travelling, together with some of her team-mates in Italy, to the final series of Belgian cobbled classics, two weeks starting with Thursday’s Driedaagse Brugge – De Panne.

Cover picture (c): Vélofocus