Giro Rosa (finale)

Aude Biannic on the attack until last kilometer in Udine, caught following beautiful effort in French national holiday. Eider Merino finishes 16th overall, Paula Patiño second best young rider in the race.

Annemiek van Vleuten (MTS) sealed in Udine on Sunday her second consecutive overall victory in the Giro Rosa (UCI Women’s WorldTour). The Dutchwoman owned the show in a race where Marianne Vos (CCC) claimed a whooping fourth stage win after the Movistar Team – just like all over the second half of the race – showed its great fighting spirit with Aude Biannic.

The ‘Brétonne’ profited from the false flat after the only rated climb of the day, Moruzzo (Cat-3), to jump off the front of a field compact and really fast-paced all day. Aude gained a gap of nearly 30″ over the main favourites, before getting caught inside the final kilometer, on the verge of a success the Blues deserved so much after health problems early in the race -Sheyla Gutiérrez with digestive problems; Gloria Rodríguez an early DNF by the aftermath of a crash on stage two-.

Eider Merino -16th in the final overall classification- and Paula Patiño, second best youngster of the race and 23rd overall, were, together with a combative Malgorzata Jasinska, the best news from a Blue roster which tackled the Giro Rosa without its natural elader, Spaniard Mavi García. The upcoming appointment for the group directed by Sebastián Unzué and Jorge Sanz will be La Course, next Friday 19th in Pau (France).

GIRO ROSA OVERVIEW (VIDEO WITH CAPTIONS) > Eider Merino | Paula Patiño