Team TIBCO -Silicon Valley Bank has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Giro d’Italia Donne after a positive COVID-19 test result within the team.
The team is sad and disappointed to leave the Giro d’Italia Donne, but feel the decision is the most responsible course of action.
“The Giro d’Italia Donne is a special race with challenging courses and breathtaking scenery,” team director Rachel Hedderman said. “I am proud of how we raced so far, giving it our all every day. We fought really hard yesterday to stay in the race, and this isn’t how we wanted our 2021 Giro to end, but the health of both our riders and the wider peloton takes priority and we’ll be back fighting again next year.”
The team is crushed to leave the Giro d’Italia Donne before its conclusion, but feel the decision is the most responsible course of action.
“The Giro d’Italia Donne is a special race with challenging courses and breathtaking scenery,” team director Rachel Hedderman said. “I am proud of how we raced so far, giving it our all every day. We fought really hard yesterday to stay in the race, and this isn’t how we wanted our 2021 Giro to end, but the health of both our riders and the wider peloton takes priority and we’ll be back fighting again next year.”
Despite the COVID-19 related setback, Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank was still fortunate enough to experience most of what the Giro d’Italia Donne had to offer, and each rider met each challenge with the fortitude and grit of champions. One of the squad’s targets was the opening 26.7km team time trial from Fossano to Cuneo – a specialized discipline that requires 100 percent focus, communication, and effort.
Team TIBCO Silicon Valley Bank set off on their Cannondale SuperSlice time trial machines for a 26.7km team time trial effort from Fossano to Cuneo on the opening day of the Giro d’Italia Donne on July 2. Photo/Twila Muzzi
In the lead-up to the Giro, the team made a concerted effort to perfect the art of the TTT, and it paid off. On their lightning fast Cannondale SuperSlice TT bikes, Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank finished eighth out of 24 of the best teams in the world.
The top 10 TTT result on the opening stage set a motivated tone for the rest of the week. Each day presented new terrain, new dynamics, and new challenges, but together, they reached new depths of understanding of what it means to be a teammate. The Giro d’italia Donne is a unique, unforgettable adventure and a race we’ll definitely be back for next year!
Nothing but speed. Photo/Twilia Muzzi
“Coming from a very individual profession of being a solo pianist, being part of a team has been the biggest learning curve for me,” Emily Joy Newsom said after stage 7. “And now, four years into my career as a cyclist, it is by far the most special part of my job. We win together, we suffer together, we haul bikes and equipment across the world together and we always have each other’s backs no matter what.”