Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Giorgia Bronzini took her first ever overall stage race victory in the 2013 Tour of Zhoushan Island, in China, as she held on to her overall lead on the hilly final stage. With only second place overall Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products) to worry about in the general classification, the two-time former World champion managed to stay with the Trofeo Binda World Cup race winning climber on the hilly course, and finished one place ahead of her at the finish.
The stage was won by Longo Borghini’s teammate Cecilie Johnsen, taking her second straight stage, after the Norwegian escaped from a five-woman breakaway in the closing kilometres. Elena Kuchinskaya (RusVelo) finished second, four seconds behind Johnsen, while Meng Lang (China Chongming-Giant) took fourth, ahead of Bronzini and Longo Borghini, 16 seconds behind.
Having successfully contained the threat from Longo Borghini, Bronzini confirmed overall victory in the race, taking Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s first ever stage race as well as her own, with her compatriot 14 seconds behind her. Johnsen’s second stage victory lifted her to third in the final general classification, one minute and six seconds behind.
Having taken the lead with a breakaway victory on stage one, where she beat Longo Borghini in a two-up sprint, Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Italian superstar held on to the leader’s yellow jersey from start to finish. Second place in a chaotic bunch sprint on stage two meant that Bronzini increased her lead over her compatriot and, with the rest of the peloton more than a minute behind, only had one rider to worry about on the final, hilly stage.
Once again Bronzini proved that there is far more to her than just one of the fastest sprints in the women’s peloton, by staying with the best climbers in the race to secure the overall victory.