One of the major tours, the Giro d’Italia kicked off on Sunday 7 July 2024 with the team’s ambitions high.
1st stage : TT
An Italian rider is the first to don the pink leader’s jersey in the Giro. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) won stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia, a 15.7km time trial around Brescia, just one second ahead of Grace Brown (2nd in 20’38”).
2nd stage : Sirmione – Volta Mantovana (102km)
Chiara Consonni beat Lotte Kopecky to victory on stage 2 of the Giro, which ended in a bunch sprint. Despite the team’s girls being well placed at the front of the peloton throughout the race, Grace retained her second place overall, while Loes moved up to 8th place.
3rd stage : Sabbioneta – Toano (111km)
The third stage, characterised by a relatively flat course over the first 100 kilometres, followed by a final climb to Toano of 12.5km at 4.9%, was won by Niamh Fisher-Black from the SD Worx Protime team, with team-mate Lotte Kopecky in second place.
Our Danish star is back in top physical condition at this Giro d’Italia, holding on to his direct rivals for the overall classification on the day’s climb.
Cécilie finished the stage in 8th place, taking her up to 9th place overall, 1’30’ behind Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini of the Lidl-Trek team.
4th stage : Imola – Urbino (131km)
This Wednesday, the 4th stage of the Giro d’Italia for Women took the riders from Imola to Urbino over 131km. The stage proved to be a demanding one with some key climbs: the San Marino climb (5.5km at 6.9%) at kilometre 88 and Monte Osteraccia (6.3km at 7.1%), before a fearsome finale with a 14% gradient in the final kilometre.
Canadian Clara Edmond (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) triumphed solo, being the only rider to survive an early breakaway. Cécilie confirmed her great form by crossing the finish line in third place behind Soraya Paladin (Canyon-Sram Racing).
Our Danish star moves up to third place overall, 38 seconds behind Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl Trek, who retains the maglia rosa.
5th stage : Frontone – Foligno (111km)
The women riders tackled a slightly flatter course. Apart from the Morello climb at the 15th kilometre, the rest of the course was mainly made up of false flats going up and down. The intermediate sprint in Sigillo at the halfway stage was crucial for the contenders for the green jersey. A bunch sprint was expected in Urbino to conclude the stage.
On Thursday, Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime) won the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia Feminin, contested between Frontone (Marche) and Foligno (Umbria) over a distance of 108 kilometres. The World Champion finished ahead of Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) and Arlenis Sierra (Movistar Team).
Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) retains her overall leader’s pink jersey. Cristina Tonetti and Alessia Vigilia briefly broke away, but the SD Worx team allowed Lotte Kopecky to win the sprint.
Our Italian, Vittoria, finished in 6th place on this stage.
6th stage : San benedetto del tronto – Chieti (155km)
At the start of the final three days of the race, which promise to be the most gruelling of this Giro d’Italia 2024 for Women, the riders face the longest stage of the competition, with almost 155 kilometres and a total climb of 2,000 metres to overcome. Although there are no real mountain passes on the route, the climbs of Cermignano at kilometre 74 and Penne at kilometre 120 add to the difficulty. The finish, scheduled at the top of a one-kilometre hump with an average gradient of 7%, promises a particularly demanding end to the stage.
Germany’s Liane Lippert of the Movistar team surprised the favourites by claiming her first individual victory in the women’s Giro. She won a breakaway sprint in Chieti.
Behind them, the favourites were unable to separate themselves, finishing 21 seconds behind the race leaders. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) retained the Pink Jersey, 3 seconds ahead of world champion Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime) and 38 seconds ahead of our Dane Cecilie.
With forty kilometres to go, a crash in the peloton caused a break. A trio including Liane Lippert, Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) and Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) battled it out in the sprint, with Lippert taking victory.
Cécilie, finished in the top 10 on this stage in 9th place.
7th stage : Lanciano – blockhaus (123km)
On the eve of the final finish on Saturday 13 July, the 7th stage of the Giro d’Italia for women offered a major challenge with its 3,600 metres of ascent over 123 kilometres. The riders tackled a difficult course, including an initial ascent of the Passo Lanciano (11.3km at 8.5%) followed by another ascent of the same pass before climbing to the summit of the Blockhaus (16.5km at 7.9%).
Australian Neve Bradbury (Canyon // SRAM Racing) won the stage solo, becoming the first rider to win at the top of the Blockhaus in this edition of the Giro. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) finished second, while Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) saved her pink jersey by maintaining a slender lead of one second over Kopecky.
The course quickly led to a selection with Claire Steels from the Movistar team in the initial breakaway. A crash in the peloton led to a split, and the leading group consisted of Longo Borghini, Kopecky, Bradbury and other contenders. Bradbury attacked before the last ten kilometres, managing to break away. Kopecky beat Longo Borghini in the sprint for second place, reducing the gap in the overall classification thanks to bonifications.
Cécilie Uttrup Ludwig finished 11th on the stage, consolidating her position in the top 10 overall, 4’31’ behind the race leader.
8th stage : Pescara – l’Aquila (109km)
On Sunday 14 July, the Tour of Italy Women 2024 concluded its route with a decisive stage between Pescara and L’Aquila. The 109-kilometre route featured a mountainous finish with the climb to Forca di Penne and the ascent of Castel del Monte, followed by a mainly downhill section towards the finish.
Asia Zontone 2024 (Isolmant – Premac – Vittoria), Loes Adegeest and Lieke Nooijen (Visma-Lease a Bike) formed the first breakaway, but were caught before the intermediate sprint. Lucinda Brand, Claire Steels and Katrine Aalerud (Uno x mobility) tried to pull ahead on the Forca di Penne coast, but their lead was reduced before the descent from Castel del Monte. After several breakaway attempts, a trio comprising Ruth Edwards, Franziska Koch (team dsm firmenich postNL) and Kimberley Le Court Pienaar (AG insurance soudal team) finally managed to break away.
Elisa Longo Borghini brilliantly retained her pink jersey by outpacing Lotte Kopecky on the final climb, thereby securing her overall victory. In the sprint for the stage win, Kimberley Le Court Pienaar beat Ruth Edwards and Franziska Koch. Cécilie finished 16th on the stage and 8th overall, 4’31’ behind the leader.
The Giro d’Italia Femmes 2024 crowned Elisa Longo Borghini, and our Danish rider Cécilie finished in the top 10 of this Grand Tour.