Photo Credit: Cor Vos

The last day in the mountains awaited the peloton at the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile with a very challenging 122 kilometre long route, featuring the testing climb of Stregna and a difficult mountain top finish at Monte Matajur. It was a fast start to the day before a group of three riders managed to escape, with all Team DSM riders in the peloton, and the race settled into a rhythm.

As the kilometres ticked by, those ahead were slowly reeled in where a strong counter attacking duo went clear on the slopes of Stregna. Building up an advantage of over two minutes, it looked as if they might fight it out for the stage win yet as the race charged towards the lower slopes of the finale climb, the gap diminished to around one minute. However, a slowing of pace allowed the eventual stage winner, Moolman, to increase her advantage out front before the tempo was upped in the bunch.

After some good positioning work by the team, Juliette Labous and Liane Lippert made the very reduced Maglia Rosa group before it thinned out even further. Labous pushed hard on the steep gradients, digging deep all the way to the top of the climb and crossing the line in seventh place for the team; moving up to seventh on GC in the process.

“In the first 70 kilometres the girls kept me out of trouble and followed any dangerous moves,” explained Labous at the end of the stage. “Then on the long middle climb it was a very hard pace, where I was able able stay with the first 15 riders. Coryn did her best to try and follow Longo Borghini and Moolman Pasio but the climb was just a bit too long for her in the end. After that, groups came back together and once again the girls kept me out of the wind and in a perfect position for the final climb. Liane then set a steady pace at the bottom of the climb which was really nice. The attacks then came from the favourites and I could follow most but not when Van der Breggen attacked. I paced myself well after that and seventh place was the best I could get. I’m happy with the result and I think it was a good performance. I’m also really grateful for the team to have confidence in me for this GC and now we will get ready for the final stage and one more chance for us tomorrow.”