Demonstrating her prowess as a time trial specialist at the New Zealand Championships, which she convincingly won in January, 22-year-old Kim Cadzow (EF Education – Cannondale) confirmed her abilities today in Pietra Ligure by winning the first stage of the Trofeo Ponente in Rosa after a solo ride of 50 km.
Following the Swiss-dominated prologue in Loano, in the stage that took the peloton from Bordighera to Pietra Ligure (covering 112 km), EF Education-Cannondale decided to take the offensive from the early kilometres. After two intermediate sprints with Lotta Henttala and Clara Emond shining, the American team pushed hard at the beginning of the Testico climb, clearing the way for Kim Cadzow’s attack. She crested the first-category summit first and managed to maintain her lead until the finish line, holding off the chasing pack by a minute. Completing the celebration for the American team led by Carmen Small, former Giro stage winner Kristen Faulkner extended the lead over the other 20 pursuers in the finale, finishing second with a one-minute delay. Linda Zanetti took the third spot, trailing by 1 minute and 15 seconds, leading the rest of the group.
Fourth place went to Monica Trinca Colonel, the best among the Italians. However, Elisa Valtulini and Giorgia Bariani were also in the leading group.
It was a team success for EF Education – Cannondale, reflected in the general classifications of the race organised by Loabikers, under the presidency of Piernicola Pesce and sponsored by the Liguria Region: Cadzow is now not only the owner of the overall pink jersey but also the fuchsia jersey for the points classification and the blue jersey for the best climber. Lotta Henttala, on the other hand, secured the yellow jersey for intermediate sprints.
“It wasn’t a pre-planned strategy, but the team wanted to take control of the race from the early kilometres,” confessed the stage winner. “After my teammates pushed hard in the first kilometre of the Testico, I attacked. It wasn’t easy to handle the hilly section, but thanks to Kristen’s work in the group behind me, I managed to reach the finish line. Goals for the upcoming days? We’ll see with the team; I’ve only been cycling for three years after being a swimmer, so I take it day by day and try to do my best for the team. Of course, this performance gives me a lot of confidence, not only for the next stages but also looking ahead to future events, like the Trofeo Binda on March 17th.”
Tomorrow’s Stage
On Thursday, March 7th, the second stage will be a 71.5-kilometre road race from Diano Marina to Diano Marina, featuring four categorised climbs: Monte Pagliassa, Passo del Ginestro, Colle San Bartolomeo, and Capo Berta.
2024 Trofeo Ponente in Rosa Stage 2 result
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