In a nail-biting conclusion to the second stage of the Giro Toscana Int. Femminile, Margot Vanpachtenbeke secured a narrow victory over Rasa Leleivyte, solidifying her position as the overall leader. The Belgian rider, representing Volkerwessels Women’s Team, crossed the finish line just centimetres ahead of her Lithuanian rival, who won yesterday’s stage, who now trails by 6 seconds due to time bonuses. Ukrainian rider Olha Kulynych took third place, leading the chase group across the line, around 15 seconds behind.
The stage, starting and finishing in Segromigno, saw the early action dominated by a daring breakaway from Danish rider Julie Maribo. Attacking almost immediately after the start, Maribo managed to stay away for nearly 100 kilometres, at one point building a lead of 2 minutes and 52 seconds.
As the race approached the final 10 kilometres, the peloton began to reel in Maribo’s advantage, and a select group of riders, including Vanpachtenbeke, Leleivyte, Spanish rider Paula Blasi Cairol, and Mexico’s Romina Hinojosa Cruz, worked together to close the gap. They were soon joined by four more riders: Federica Piergiovanni, Elisa De Vallier, Chiara Reghini, and Polish rider Malwina Mul.
The critical moment of the stage came during the technical and fast descent from the Valgiano hill, the only significant climb of the day, located just over 6 kilometres from the finish. It was here that Vanpachtenbeke and Leleivyte broke away from the rest, setting up a two-rider sprint for the finish.
Despite Leleivyte’s efforts, it was Vanpachtenbeke who had the edge, taking the win by the smallest of margins. The victory not only extended her lead in the general classification but also underscored her dominance in this year’s race. The young Italian riders also impressed, with three of them, including the 2004-born De Vallier, finishing in the top ten of the general classification.
Earlier in the race, Maribo had also claimed the intermediate sprints at kilometres 34 and 64, adding further drama to her long day out front. However, she was eventually caught before the decisive final kilometres unfolded.
Sunday’s stage will see the riders tackle the third and final stage of this year’s race. It’s a challenging 129-kilometre route from Lucca to Montecatini Terme, where the overall winner of this year’s Giro Toscana Int. Femminile will be crowned.
2024 Giro Toscana Int. Femminile Stage 2 result
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