The 26th edition of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a challenging 152 km race from Luino to Cittiglio, saw a cautious start before the peloton began to fracture with around 100 km remaining. A significant early move of fourteen riders, including experienced names such as Lizzie Deignan of Lidl-Trek, Fem van Empel of Visma-Lease a Bike, Neve Bradbury and Antonia Niedermaier of Canyon SRAM-Zondacrypto, Nina Buijsman and Eglantine Rayer of FDJ-Suez, and Ella Wyllie of Liv-AlUla-Jayco, created initial tension in the bunch.
Despite their collective strength, this sizeable breakaway was eventually neutralised around 32 km from the finish, prompting immediate counter-attacks. Dominika Włodarczyk of UAE Team ADQ and Magdeleine Vallières of EF Education-Oatly swiftly launched a secondary escape, briefly gaining ground before being caught as the race entered its decisive phase on the slopes of the Orino climb.
With just under 25 kilometres remaining, the pace intensified dramatically. Demi Vollering of FDJ-Suez ignited the first significant acceleration on the climb, stretching the peloton and drawing an immediate response from her rivals. Shortly after Vollering’s attack was neutralised, Anna van der Breggen of SD Worx-Protime countered aggressively on the descent, briefly opening a gap of around 20 seconds.
The chasing peloton, sensing danger, rapidly reorganised and reeled in Van der Breggen, only to see Elisa Longo Borghini of UAE Team ADQ launch repeated moves. Each attack from Longo Borghini was quickly shadowed by Vollering, creating a highly selective race. A strong elite group of riders, including Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Kim le Court, Puck Pieterse, Mavi Garcia, and Silke Smulders briefly emerged with Longo Borghini and Vollering, but they too struggled to cooperate and were eventually reeled back.
Photo Credit: MovistarPieterse’s late attack sets stage for dramatic sprint
Inside the final 10 kilometres, further attacks continued to animate the race. Puck Pieterse of Fenix-Deceuninck made a notable acceleration with just 4 kilometres remaining, pulling clear alongside Elisa Longo Borghini, Demi Vollering, and Monica Trinca Colonel of Liv-AlUla-Jayco. This quartet briefly appeared to have the decisive gap, yet the chase behind remained fierce, closing rapidly as the riders approached the final kilometre.
The leading quartet were caught on the final corner into Cittiglio’s finishing straight, setting the stage for an elite group sprint. Elisa Balsamo, who had carefully conserved energy thanks to the support of her Lidl-Trek teammates throughout the day, executed a perfectly timed sprint, overpowering Blanka Vas of SD Worx-Protime and Cat Ferguson of Movistar.
After securing her third Trofeo Alfredo Binda victory, Balsamo was ecstatic:
“I’m speechless. It was one of the hardest races ever for me, the last two laps were crazy. My teammates did a great job, and I’m very happy. It’s always so nice to win in Italy and at this race, so it’s a perfect day.”
Reflecting on local support that buoyed her spirits on the climbs, she added:
“I really like this race, and now I know every single metre of the race. Today, a lot of friends and all my family were there, they were pushing me on the last climb—every ten metres there was someone—and I’m so happy.”
2025 Trofeo Alfredo Binda result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
