Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Giorgia Bronzini and Amy Roberts both scored second places today, in the fifth stage of the Giro Rosa and the Great Britain National Criterium Championships. Former two-time road World Champion Bronzini beat Shelley Olds (Alé-Cipollini) in the race for second place behind current rainbow jersey and Giro leader Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv). Roberts, as the only representative of the black and orange team in Hull, East Yorkshire, managed to escape the bunch on the final lap in pursuit of lone leader Eileen Roe (Starley Primal) but was just unable to catch the Scottish rider.
“Today’s stage was very fast,” Bronzini said of the 118km Giro Rosa stage along the Adriatic coast between Jesi and Cesenatico. “We averaged around 45kph. There were a lot of breaks, but we were a big bunch at the end.
“There was only one climb, but at the bottom I punctured my back wheel, but Emilia [Fahlin] waited and brought me back to the bunch again,” Bronzini explained. “Then when I was back in the bunch in the middle of the climb Linda [Villumsen] brought me up to the front again.”
“At the end Lotte [Becker] brought me up to Vos’ wheel, but I was little bit upset in the final because it was different to what it said in the road book,” Bronzini continued. They said that the last corner was at 400 to go, so I got myself into third position and was ready for my sprint. When I saw that it was longer I was in the front too early. It meant that I started my sprint with 300 to go, but Vos started her sprint at 200 to go, and I was too long in the wind.
“Maybe it didn’t change anything though,” Bronzini conceded. “Maybe Vos would have won anyway. I was a little bit upset, but I can’t change anything.”
Bronzini’s second place was Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s third podium of the Giro Rosa so far, after her own victory on stage two and Japanese champion Mayuko Hagiwara’s third place on the uphill finish of stage three.
Meanwhile, in Hull, Roberts was up against the best of the UK’s domestic teams, and could be seen chasing down several attacks on the 1.1km city centre course. Despite a powerful final lap chase, the 19-year-old was just unable to chase down Roe’s winning move.
“It was pretty hard,” said Roberts. “Matrix-Vulpine had seven riders so you had to watch everything in case it stuck, but I left it a bit late at the end and when Eileen went it was a bit annoying. But I’m pretty happy with the Silver medal, considering I was on my own.”
Result Giro Rosa stage 5
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabo-Liv)
2. Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling)
3. Shelley Olds (Alé-Cipollini)
Result British Criterium Championships
1. Eileen Roe (Starley-Primal)
2. Amy Roberts (Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling)
3. Charline Joiner (Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International)
GB National Crit Photo Credit: British Cycling
