Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Giorgia Bronzini managed to salvage eleventh place in the first stage of the Tour of Chongming Island after almost being taken down in a crash in the final two kilometres. The former two-time road World champion had positioned herself well near the front of the peloton, but the rider in front of her was taken out by a wayward rider and Bronzini was lucky not to have also been brought down.
“There was a crash at one of the intermediate sprints, and then one close to the finish, but luckily none of our riders were brought down,” said Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling directeur sportif Simon Cope.
“Orica had their train going so Rochelle [Gilmore] took Giorgia up to Edmondson’s wheel,” Cope explained “But then a rider cut straight across Edmondson and took her out. Giorgia just about managed to get around it, but Rochelle had to stop and put her foot down.
“I think Giorgia was running on pure adrenaline after that and she ended up sprinting far too early,” he added.
The race was won by World junior champion Lucy Garner (Argos-Shimano), taking her first ever victory in the professional ranks, ahead of Chloe Hosking (Hitec Products) and Oksana Kozonchuk (RusVelo). 11th place for Bronzini was disappointing after having taken two victories in the weeks before, but Cope is optimistic about the remaining two stages, as well as the World Cup race on Sunday.
“Giorgia has the legs, and she’s pretty disappointed about today,” Cope confirmed. “But we’re lucky that she wasn’t taken out in the crash.
“I’m disappointed with the result, but not the performance,” he concluded.
