SUPER SPRINTER: Lorena Wiebes wins the mass sprint stage five of last year’s race in Carugate from Emma Norsgaard (right) and Marianne Vos (left). Wiebes is not competing in this year’s Giro, but 19 riders, including Norsgaard and Vos, aim to compete in both the Giro and the Tour de France Femmes, which starts on July 24
[Tommaso Pelagalli for Bettini Photo]
THE 33rd edition of cycling’s women’s tour of Italy, the Giro Donne, started today with a short individual time trial on roads around sunny but windy Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, won by Kristen Faulkner.
The US rider was joined on the podium by BikeExchange team mate Georgia Baker of Australia in second place and world road race champion Elisa Balsamo of Italy in third.
It’s a 10-stage race this year, through five regions of Italy — Sardinia, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto — amounting to just over 1,000km (620-odd miles) of racing.
A prize fund of €250,000 (£215,000) that includes €50,000 to the overall winner of the leader’s jersey, the maglia rosa, together with a return to World Tour status because of TV coverage, has attracted a top-class field of 144 riders, even though some teams are keeping their powder dry for the upcoming women’s Tour de France.
