Dutch cycling ace dominating Giro Rosa

Thursday, 11 July 2019:

ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN (NED) Mitchelton-Scott celebrates winning the Women's 2018 Herald Sun Tour Prologue, 1.6km Individual Time Trial in Melbourne, Australia.
ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN (NED) Mitchelton-Scott celebrates winning the Women's 2018 Herald Sun Tour Prologue, 1.6km Individual Time Trial in Melbourne, Australia.


Annamiek van Vleuten's domination of the Giro Rosa is so complete that her formidable main rival appears resigned to a podium finish.

The Dutch cycling ace, who leads the Australian Mitchelton Scott team, extended her overall lead in the Italian stage race by winning the stage-six individual time trial.

The day after crushing her rivals on the summit finish to stage five, the reigning world time trial champion also unleashed her prowess on the 12km uphill stage.

She won in 24 minutes 31 seconds, 52 seconds ahead of compatriot Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dolmans)

That means van Vleuten now has a whopping overall lead of four minutes 17 seconds on Polish star Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM), with van der Breggen another second behind.

The time gap between first and second overall is greater than the gap from second to 14th with four stages left, such is van Vleuten's form.

Pre-race, van der Breggen appeared a key rival for van Vleuten, given she has won the Giro Rosa twice and is the reigning world road champion.

But after stage six, van der Breggen was realistic about her chances.

"I am looking forward to the coming days and the fight for the podium," she said.

"That is not what we originally came for, but it is a good goal for the rest of the race."

In the wake of van Vleuten's imposing stage-five solo attack that tore the race apart, Italian star Elisa Longo Borghini called her an alien.

"Every year I target the Giro, since 2017, I learn new things and I try to take it into the next year and so after two-years of targeting I have become an 'alien' as they now say," van Vleuten said

"We will take it day by day and I will need to stay super focused until Sunday.

"I did a recon of the stages so I know what is coming up and it's not easy, especially the next three days, but my teammates are very strong."

Australian teammate Amanda Spratt was eighth in the time trial and dropped one place to fifth overall, 5:21 behind van Vleuten.

Spratt is the only Australian in the top 10 overall.






AAP