After a series of hills and mountain passes and two time trials, an almost flat stage (120 kilometres) awaited on Wednesday in the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia Donne. The escapees were caught with the finish line in sight, after which the sprinters could prepare for a classic bunch sprint. Sofia Bertizzolo took seventh place. Lorena Wiebes won.
“This fifth stage was only the first chance for the sprinters. You noticed that the race, especially in the final, was a bit more nervous”, says sports director Eric van den Boom. “Marta Jaskulska, who had been given a free role together with Sofia Bertizzolo for today, crashed at 40 kilometres from the finish. Luckily the physical damage was not too serious. Then we decided to give it all for Sofia. In the final kilometres we tried to put her in the best possible position for the final sprint.”
Photo credits: Cor Vos