Marianne Vos wins fifth stage in 2011 Giro d’ltalia Internazionale Femminile
Nederland Bloeit team’s Marianne Vos won her fifth stage victory and also took the overall lead in 2011 Giro d’ltalia Internazionale Femminile on Saturday, July 9.
The race started in Aglie and ended in Ceresole Reale. The 24-year-old Dutch cyclo-cross took a total of 3 hours, 12 minutes and 3 seconds to cover the distance of 114.8 kilometres.
Emma Pooley of Garmin-Cervelo was in a good form, but she grabbed the second spot with a difference of 12 seconds. Judith Arndt of HTC-Highroad finished third with 22 seconds behind and Tatiana Guderzo of SC MCipollini Giordana was in the fourth place with
25 seconds adrift to Vos.
After finishing the stage, Vos told the media, “Today was another amazing day, the finish was challenging, but not like yesterday. In the company of Emma Pooley, who repeatedly tried to get away, we reached all those who were in the attack.”
With 34 kilometres to go, a group of nine cyclists made their first breakaway, including, Monia Baccaille, Claudia Hausler, Emma Johansson, Irene Van Den Broek, Polona Batagelj, Ashleigh Moolman, Sharon Laws (Garmin-Cervelo), Andrea Dvorak and Amanda Miller
(HTC Highroad).
After 80 kilometres, all of them worked together and build a lead of 2 minutes and 20 seconds. The two riders, Hausler and Johansson, attacked and got away from the nine riders.
After few kilometres, Pooley was able to join Hausler and Johansson in the Maglia Rosa.
The two leaders, Judith Arndt and Tatiana Guderzo, fighting their own battle and a new group was formed, including Mara Abbott (Diadora-Pasta Zara), Hausler, Johannson, Tatiana Antoshina (Gauss) and Ruth Corset (Bizkaia-Durango).
However, in the final kilometres Vos once again increased his pace and launched the attack, to which Pooley had no answer so she took her fifth stage victory.
Vos further added, “I don't want to celebrate in advance, because tomorrow I expect another far from easy stage. It will be technical and difficult to interpret. The stage where I realized that I could take the final victory was that of the Mortirolo”
Marianne took the overall lead with a timing of 25 hours, 20 minutes and 8 seconds and Emma Pooley was the runner-up with 2 minutes and 48 seconds behind Vos.
Judith Arndt of HTC-Highroad Women finished third with a difference of 8 minutes and 7 seconds.
The final stage will start in San Francesco al Campo (ITT) and all the cyclists will cover the distance of 16 kilometres.
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