Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Giorgia Bronzini sprinted to victory at the head of a 20-strong group of riders, which was all that remained of the peloton, at the end of an attritional first stage of the Festival Luxembourgeois du Cyclisme Féminin Elsy Jacobs, in Garnich, Luxembourg. The two-time road World champion beat South African champion Ashleigh Moolman (Lotto-Belisol), and Polish champion Katarzyna Pawlowska (GSD Gestion-Kallisto) into second and third, with current World champion Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) fourth.
The 102.6km stage was made up of a long, 53.6km opening loop, followed by five laps of a hilly 9.8km finishing circuit.
“On the finishing laps there were two climbs; one short and steep and one longer and less steep,” said Bronzini afterwards. “It was also cold, but we were lucky because it didn’t rain.”
On the final lap the pace up the climb reduced the peloton to a group of just 20 riders, including Bronzini, and the former World champion sprinted to her second victory of the season.
“In the five last laps there were so many attacks from [Orica-AIS] and I was on the wheel of Emma Johansson every time she tried to attack,” Bronzini explained. “In the final there were, I think, 15 girls to the sprint. I was on the wheel of Vos, and when she started to sprint I went out in the last hundred metres.”
Bronzini’s second victory of the season was the result of a big team effort once again, as Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling directeur sportif Simon Cope explained.
“The team did a really good job early on to protect Giorgia, so she’d have the legs for the sprint,” Cope said. “It just whittled down, until there were only 20 riders left at the end.
“They did their job well, to protect Giorgia, and she finished it off pretty well; well, very well really!” he laughed.
“Laura Trott and Dani King [pictured above] were with me until one lap to go,” Bronzini confirmed. “They worked hard for me because the wind was from the side and they covered me so many times so I could reserve my power, and they did a very good job.”
Vos took over the race lead, but a ten-second time bonus for Bronzini moves the Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling rider up to fifth overall, just five seconds behind.
“If she can win tomorrow she’ll win overall,” said Cope.
“I will try to do my best sprint,” Bronzini smiled.
