Neve Bradbury has taken another major set in her professional cycling career after winning the queen stage 7 atop the famed Blockhaus at the Giro d'Italia Women. The effort has planted her firmly on the overall classification podium ahead of the finale on Sunday.
Bradbury went into this Giro d'Italia Women with ambitions for the overall classification, especially after finishing second overall at the UAE Tour and her recent stage win at the Tour de Suisse, where she finished second overall - the keys to unlocking her GC potential.
"I was focused only on the stage win, but then the gap got bigger, which I knew might also change the GC. By then, I just went as hard as I could to the finish line," said Bradbury over her winning attack with 9.4km to go on stage 7 to the Blockhaus and soloing to the finish to take the biggest victory of her career so far.
"I got a lot of cheering from the team on the radio and the staff on the side of the road. It was pretty cool. The climb is brutal. It's the hardest race I've done. If you had told me four years ago after winning Zwift Academy that I could win a stage of the Giro, I would not have believed it!"
Canyon-SRAM signed Bradbury in 2021 after she had won the Zwift Academy that year. She's now in her fourth season with the team and is having her strongest year yet.
"I'm not sure where to start with that win. We had a good plan and wanted to race aggressively with Neve and then save for Antonia [Niedermaier] to be able to play it more cool and reserved," said Canyon-SRAM director Magnus Backstedt.
"Neve smashed it out of the park. She took the climb on a steep section and took off like a rocket. Being able to hold that against [Elisa] Longo Borghini, [Pauliena] Rooijakkers, and [Lotte] Kopecky chasing behind is an awe-inspiring ride by Neve.
"Neve has been growing every year since she won the Zwift Academy in 2020. This year, she's taken another step. She's racing cleverly and more confidently. It shows, again, that we can find talents at Zwift Academy and, with time, let them grow into big stars. We couldn't be more excited where we are with the whole team now."
Bradbury won the stage by 44 seconds ahead of the two-up sprint for second place won by Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and maglia rosa Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek).
The victory has moved Bradbury up eight spots in the GC standings, and she is now in third place overall, 1:12 behind Longo Borghini, heading into the eighth and final stage on Sunday. She is also leading the best young rider classification.
