Giro Donne 2005

1^st July - 10^th July

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Stage Review - Stage 3

It was another hot day on the Giro Donne. With temperatures again in the mid-30'C, although the stage was flat, there as no action until about 80km. The bunch was riding in a controlled manner until then - noone wanting to take the initiative, or to waste energy in the heat.

At about 85km, Alessandra D'Ettorere (Team Saccarelli - Emu - Marsciano) and Valeria Pintos (Chirio - Forno D'Alsolo) broke away and managed to gain a 1 minute gap on the bunch. They were caught, though, at 117km covered of a 129.4km stage. Shortly afterwards, at about 119km, a breakaway of 5 riders was established - Zinaida Stahurskaia (Team Bianchi), Sandra Rombouts (Buitenpoort-Flexpoint), Svetlana Boubnenkova (Fenix), Dorte Rasmussen (Team SATS) and Moreno Alué (Spanish National Team). This 5 looked like they were going to achieve a race winning break and with 7km to go, they had a 31 second gap. 

Three teams went to the front to bring the escapees back - Buitenpoort-Flexpoint, Team Bigla - working for 'Maglia Rosa', Nicole Braendli and the team intending to launch their sprinter to victory, Chirio-Forno D'Asoslo. The attack was caught and the bunch was back together again for a sprint into Chioggia. The finish was wide open in the final kilometre, but it was also chaotic - Edita Puckinskaite's bottle and bottle cage were detached from her bike in the final 10m...... it was left spinning in the road after the bunch had passed.

Italian 'golden girl', multiple winner in this race in previous editions, Fabiana Luperini punctured twice, the second time with just 5km to go. She was paced back into the bunch before the final kilometre by her team - Team FRW-GS Top Girls. 

Two riders failed to start Stage 3 - Paola Pezzo (Team Saccarelli) and World Track Champ (points), Vera Carrara (Bianchi)

Post Race Comments

Oenone Wood was second in the final sprint. When asked if she was pleased with her second place, she replied that "I would have preferred the win", but then she is still getting her race legs back "this is my first race back after a break";  she has just been on a mid-season break back home in Australia. "The finish was fast and it was dangerous". Having seen stage winner, Georgia Bronzini on the track at the Track World Cup event in Sydney, WomensCycling asked Oenone if Bronzini was a revelation, or a known quantity - "she does ride track, but she also races the road. She has just had a good Giro Trentino and she's fast at the moment."  

Karin Charman finished in the bunch. This is her first European Tour (she is from Geelong, near Melbourne in Australia) and she admitted that today was much better than yesterday - due to the addition of a computer on her handlebars so that she knew the distances - "Yesterday, I had no idea how far there was to go. I didn't realise we were near to the end and that we were past the cut-off for receiving drinks from the team car. With 10km to go I was desperate for water - but the team couldn't feed me - we'd be fined. I arrived at the finish in a mess. Last night I told the mechanic I needed a computer so that I could tell the distances. I also taped details of the stage to my handlebars - no problems today, I knew where I was! It was a busy stage for me as a 'domestique', I was backwards and forwards to the car all day for drinks for the team." 

Results - Stage 3