Canyon-SRAM, third within the UCI world rankings, brings a roster loaded with climbers, together with younger stars Neve Bradbury and Antonia Niedermaier, for the Giro d’Italia Ladies, July 7-14.
Two Giro veterans lead the GC hopes – Elise Chabbey, who returns for a fifth time, and Italian Soraya Paladin, who makes an eleventh look to her dwelling Grand Tour. Chabbey comes off a Tour de Suisse mountains classification win, whereas Paladin completed within the prime 10 at each the RideLondon Classique and Vuelta a Burgos Feminas.
“It is at all times a brilliant good tour with completely different sorts of levels and lots of alternatives. We come there with Neve and Antonia, two younger, gifted climbers, and I am excited to help them in the course of the tour,” Chabbey mentioned.
Additionally on the beginning line are Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka, Alice Towers and Maike van der Duin, who all make their debuts on the Giro.
Not on the roster is final 12 months’s Giro runner-up Kasia Niewiadoma, who received the mountains classification a couple of days in the past on the Thüringen Girls Tour. Final week, she inked a brand new contract with Canyon-SRAM to increase her time on the WorldTour stage by way of 2026, a complete of 9 years with the workforce. She was now taking a brief relaxation earlier than a coaching camp earlier than the Paris Olympic Video games, the place she is going to compete for Staff Poland within the highway race, then be a part of Canyon-SRAM for Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
“Particularly on the Tour de Suisse, we confirmed that we have been a united group driving strongly collectively,” mentioned Bradbury, who completed second on GC at this 12 months’s Swiss stage race whereas Niedermaier was sixth and Chabbey 14th.
“The Giro is my largest goal of the season. All my preparations have been for the Giro, and I’ve performed all I can to be in the most effective form for this race. We’ve proven we are able to struggle in opposition to all groups and are prepared for this Grand Tour.”
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After the opening particular person time trial in Brescia to open the eight days of racing, Van der Duin will put her dash expertise to the take a look at on stage 2, the place the primary bunch dash is predicted on the circuit end in Volta Mantovana. The subsequent three days cowl undulating terrain for a rating of alternatives, together with one other bunch dash on stage 5.
Nonetheless, the ultimate weekend presents pure climbing days within the mountains of Umbria. The queen stage is stage 7, with 3,700 metres of elevation acquire and two ascents of Passo Lanciano adopted by a summit end of Blockhaus. The last word take a look at of the week will probably be a first-category climb at Castel del Monte on the ultimate stage between Pescara and L’Aquila.
“Blockhaus is vital, however there are numerous levels that can play a job in GC,” Bradbury noticed.
“It received’t all be left to stage seven. Stage 4 has a difficult finish with sharp, steep hills; stage six can be fascinating. Blockhaus will probably be simply exhausting, and it’ll rely on who has the legs on the day. Stage eight is hilly, and everybody’s fatigue will probably be excessive. It makes for an thrilling Giro, and I can’t wait to start out.”
Bradbury displayed spectacular climbing talents on the Tour de Suisse final month, incomes her first World Tour win at stage 3 earlier than securing second within the GC. Niedermaier, a Giro d’Italia stage winner in 2023 on the age of 20, confirmed her climbing strengths with two prime 10s at La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour and her prime 10 on GC at Tour de Suisse.
The younger climbing duo offers Canyon-SRAM many choices for the final classification, in addition to the youth classification. Chabbey mentioned that stage 3 offered a possibility for them to shake up the GC earlier than the weekend. That 111km stage is basically flat from Sabbioneta to Toano, and brings the primary mountaintop end of the race, a 10km climb of La Collina.
“I believe levels two and 5 will probably be for the sprinters, levels three, seven and eight will decide the GC, and levels 4 and 6 might be extra open. These are those I’m probably the most enthusiastic about to seize my alternatives in some breakaways.”
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