Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) won the opening ITT stage of the 2024 Giro d'Italia Women, covering the 15.7-kilometre course in Brescia in 20:37 minutes, one second ahead of Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) and 13 seconds ahead of Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek).
Like most of the GC favourites, Longo Borghini had opted for an early start time to avoid the afternoon showers and then spent over two hours in the hotseat. When the last rider had crossed the line, Longo Borghini broke out in tears of joy, securing only the second maglia rosa of her long career.
“It’s been a long wait and really emotional. For an Italian, wearing the maglia rosa is a big deal, and to be here with such a strong team as Lidl-Trek has and to be so well-supported is really great. Last year was really difficult for me, and I really wanted to give it a good first shot. I have been dreaming of the maglia rosa for so long and made it my goal,” Longo Borghini said after the stage.
“This is for all my teammates and for my husband, who calmed me down yesterday. I was like ‘tomorrow, I just go down out of the box like a cannonball’, and he said, ‘oh no, no, just pace yourself, follow the pacing’, and so I did. Thank you, Jacopo, and again, thank you for everything you do for me,” the new maglia rosa finished with a heartfelt message to her husband, Lidl-Trek rider Jacopo Mosca.
How it unfolded
Starting and finishing in the centre of Brescia, the ITT began with an out-and-back portion to the northwest of the city. An intermediate time was taken at the turning point after 6.8km, and after returning to Brescia, riders faced the climb to the castle overlooking the city followed by a technical descent and the run-in to the finish.
With rain forecast for the afternoon, many of the GC favourites chose to start very early. Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) was the eighth rider to start and set the first benchmark when she stopped the clock after 21:06 minutes.
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) took four seconds off that to take the lead, but less than three minutes later, it was Longo Borghini’s turn to finish. She was 25 seconds faster than Kopecky, and when Brown finished one second slower than the Italian, Longo Borghini could settle into the hotseat for her long wait.
Elena Hartmann (Roland) stopped the clock at 21:05 minutes. Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) finished in 21:25 minutes, enough to take the white U23 jersey with a 13th place overall. Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) did a good performance considering she’s a lightweight climber, finishing in 25th place, 1:08 slower than her teammate Longo Borghini.
Mavi García (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) lost more time, finishing in 21:50 minutes, and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) went even slower with 23 minutes. Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) posted a time of 22:14 minutes, six seconds faster than Neve Bradbury (Canyon-SRAM). Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) finished in 21:59 minutes.
As the rain clouds started to come to Brescia, it became much harder to post a top time. Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) crashed on the cobbled descent from the castle, though the Dutchwoman could continue the race and stopped the clock after 21:53 minutes, finishing in 33rd place.
Despite the showers, Chapman set the third-best time of the day in 20:50 minutes, and Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) finished in 21:07 minutes, enough for eighth place.
When Thi That Nguyen (Roland) finished, Longo Borghini’s wait was over, and she could celebrate the stage victory and her second maglia rosa.
The Giro d’Italia Women continues on Monday with stage 2 from Sirmione to Volta Mantovana.
Results
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