Marta takes second place in the general classification of the Giro Donne 2022
This Sunday, after the 10th and final stage of this Giro Donne, Marta Cavalli takes second place in the general classification. The FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope wins the team classification, and Marta brings home the “azzura” jersey for best Italian.
Marta reflects on her Tour of Italy: “This year was by far my best Giro. I spent some great days with the team fighting for the pink jersey. The whole team was involved to achieve this goal, and we were so close. I’m a bit disappointed to have missed a stage victory, but I’m also very proud of my second place in the general classification, just behind a great rider like Annemiek Van Vleuten. I received a lot encouragement on the roadside from the Italians, and I really appreciated it, a big thank you to them!”
Flavien, the team’s performance director, looks back on the race: “We are very satisfied with the team’s performance. We started with a lap, where Marta managed to limit the damage on a circuit that did not suit her. a lot, rather flat, very short, but she managed to finish less than 10 seconds behind the contenders for the podium and in particular Annemiek Van Vleuten (Movistar).We then continued on stages which could be tricky for the leaders, but the he team always managed to protect Marta, and she didn’t get caught in the breaks. On the sprint stages the team aimed to put Clara in a good mood. The strategy didn’t necessarily work on the first two, but on the third stage in the sprint, even the podium was not there, the tactic worked and it puts the team in the right direction.The mountain stages then started. the first day in the mountains, Marta did not s very well and lost time on its two competitors. On the other three mountain stages she had much better sensations and achieved performances at her best level, she came across an Annemiek Van Vleuten in very very good shape. Marta had a very strong group around her with Brodie, Cecilie, and Evita on the mountain and Emilia and Clara for the flat position before the mountain, and it worked out really well. Annemiek always knew how to place her attacks at the right moment to avoid being bothered by a collective force, where we could have attacked in turn and tried to destabilize her.
This Giro is a good omen with Cecilie and Evita who have an ascending form for the Tour de France, and Marta who is at the best level in the world. The only regret we could have is the fact that we did not have a stage victory, especially during the penultimate stage where Marta attacks alone to try to catch Faulkner but the peloton had slipped away, and the gap was too big to close.
The objective of this Giro was to aim for the podium or better, and this is largely achieved, and bodes well for the future.”