While her teammates were chasing the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands, Erica Magnaldi struck gold in the Alps. The Italian climber finally added the GP Féminin de Chambéry to her palmarès with a commanding solo performance in a selective edition of the French one-day race. After two consecutive podiums in 2023 and 2024, Magnaldi made it third time lucky, escaping before the final lap and holding off all chasers to win by a clear margin.
The 119.4km route around Chambéry delivered what it promised: tough terrain, technical circuits, and little opportunity for recovery. With UAE Team ADQ committing fully to a hard race from the outset, the selection began early.
More than 40km from the finish, five riders emerged at the head of the race: Erica Magnaldi and Greta Marturano for UAE Team ADQ, Mona Mitterwallner and Barbara Malcotti for Human Powered Health, and Léa Curinier of FDJ-SUEZ. It was a well-balanced group, and all five contributed to the pace.
As the kilometres ticked down, the race was steadily whittled down. At 25km to go, the front group fractured under repeated attacks. Magnaldi, Mitterwallner, and Curinier were the last three standing. The decisive moment came just before the bell lap when Magnaldi attacked solo, using one of the course’s punchy climbs to carve out a gap.
She committed fully to the move and built a lead of over a minute. “If I arrived solo, I knew I could win,” she later explained. “I didn’t want to get caught. I’d been second and third here already, so I really wanted to finally take this one.”
Behind, Mitterwallner held off Curinier to secure second, with Malcotti outsprinting Marturano for fourth. UAE Team ADQ’s third rider, Paula Blasi, completed their top-six sweep in another strong showing for the team.
Reactions from the top finishers
Magnaldi was emotional after the win — her first UCI victory since 2018. “It was a beautiful race. We raced aggressively, and my teammates did an amazing job,” she said. “This race suits me – no time to recover, technical roads – I get better lap after lap. I’ve been chasing this win for a long time. When we’re racing with Elisa Longo Borghini, I work 100% for her, so it felt good to get my own opportunity today and deliver.”
From second place, Mona Mitterwallner was full of emotion too — this marked her first podium in road racing. “I’m so happy and relieved,” said the Austrian climber. “I came in with no expectations — I still had jetlag and wasn’t 100% after MTB in Brazil. But my coach said go for it, and I just trusted that. I did a lot of pace-making, especially early on. The first lap was insanely fast, but then it almost felt too slow.”
Mitterwallner was part of the initial move and looked strong on the climbs throughout. “When the attacks came again, I gave it everything to follow. In the end, Erica was just too strong. She deserves the win.”
Léa Curinier, third, helped FDJ-SUEZ get on the podium but was unable to match the pace when Magnaldi surged. “It was a hard race, and I was on the limit in the last 20km,” she said afterwards. “When Erica attacked, I didn’t have the legs to respond. Still, I’m proud to be on the podium in a race like this.”
For Mitterwallner, this breakthrough result adds valuable confidence ahead of the Vuelta España Femenina, where she will return to the high mountains — terrain she says suits her even more. “My climbing legs are showing up,” she joked at the finish. “This was punchy, but I’m excited for the real climbs. Today was just what I needed.”
2025 Grand Prix Féminin de Chambéry result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Florian Frison
