Emma Pooley (Lotto Belisol) took her second victory in the Giro Rosa 2014 in stage 8 from Verbania to San Domenico di Varzo. The Lotto Belisol rider proved she was the strongest on the final climb and managed to extend her lead in the mountain classification.
Mara Abbott (Unitedhealthcare) finished just 5 seconds back to take second place, ahead of Anna van der Breggen (Rabo Liv). Holder of the pink leader’s jersey, Marainne Vos however was nowhere to be seen on the podium finishing sixth.
Within 5 km to ride, a group of seven riders led the race: Marianne Vos, Pauline Ferrand Prevot, Anna van der Breggen, Italian Elisa Longo Borghini (Orica AIS), Emma Pooley, Megan Guarnier and Mara Abbott. In the final uphill km, Mara Abbott and Emma Pooley left the others behind. It was an atack at this point from Emma Pooley that ultimately saw her cross the line first.
“I’m over the moon. At the beginning of the race I didn’t feel that good, but in the end I realized I could make it and I managed to win again. I didn’t really expect it. Tomorrow the climb is tough and I’ll give my best”, commented the Queen of the mountains, Emma Pooley.
“Very hard stage today in the Giro Rosa. I could follow the first riders with 3 km to go, then I started to ride my own pace. Very tough day for me, but I’m still in pink. I want to thank my teammates for their great support”, conceded Marianne Vos.
While Vos still leads general classification, it is still up for grabs, so all will not be confirmed until the end of the final stage today which will feature another summit finish. The final climb today is the Ghisallo, an 8km ascent. The first 5 km of the climb hovers around 10% and the final 2km to the end of the stage is also steep.
Check out the highlights of the Giro Rosa Stage 8 here:
Last stage:
Stage 9: Trezzo sull’Adda (MI) – Madonna del Ghisallo (CO) km 80,100 (start at 12.15pm)
Results:
1. Emma Pooley (Lotto Belisol) km 90,300 in 2:32’49” at the average of 34,454 km/h
2. Mara Abbott (Unitedhealthcare) at 5’’
3. Anna Van Der Breggen (Rabo Liv) at 29’’
4. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabo Liv) at 53’’
5. Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans) at 1’27’’
6. Marianne Vos (Rabo Liv) at 1’28’’
7. Claudia Hausler (Giant Shimano) at 1’53’’
8. Annemiek Van Vleuten (Rabo Liv) s.t.
9. Tatiana Riabchenko (Michela Fanini) at 1’58’’
10. Emma Johansson (Orica AIS) at 2’01’’
General Calssification:
1. Marianne Vos (Rabo Liv)
2. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabo Liv) at 16’’
3. Anna van der Breggen (Rabo Liv) at 1’17”
4. Mara Abbott (Unitedhealthcare) at 1’39’’
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products) at 1’46’’
Jerseys:
PINK Derma Fresh, General Classification: Marianne Vos (Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team)
CYCLAMEN SMP Selle, Points Classification: Marianne Vos (Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team)
GREEN BIM, Best Climber Classification: Emma Pooley (Lotto Belisol)
WHITE Saugella, Best Young Classification: Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team)
BLUE Dama, Best Italian Classification: Elisa Longo Borghini (Hitec Products)
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