Giro Donne 2005

1^st July - 10^th July

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Stage Review - Stage 5  (111km)

Stage 5 was 3 laps around the town of Castigliano Di San Marco - the home of the Red Cross. During the Italio/French/Hapsburg war, the women of Castigliano set up a medical treatment centre and provided treatment to all wounded soldiers, regardless of race or allegiance. It was at this time that the Red Cross was born.... 

Stage 5 included the first serious climbs since Stage 1. There would, as a result, be some nervous riders in the bunch. Three 37km laps meant that there would be 6 climbs - 2 per lap to be overcome. 

There were 119 starters as the race moved out. The first 10km were ridden at a steady pace. Then, a group of three riders went away and gained a 20second gap before being reeled back in. The riders were : Sarah Ulmer (Team SATS), Lynne Gaggioli (USA) and Noemi Cantele (Team Bigla). Although they went away quickly, these three were caught within 5km. 

The first Mountains Competition climb of the day was taken by Svetlana Bubenkova (Fenixs) ahead of a complete bunch. Before the second climb, though there was a division in the bunch and the Bigla, Nobili Rubinetterie, Fenixs and (Spanish) Bizkaia-Panda Software teams were driving the first group. The second climb was taken, like the first, by Bubenkova. 

So, into the second lap, the race was 'taken by the horns' by Sarah Ulmer (Team SATS) she was chased by a group led by race leader Nicole Braendli's Team Bigla team-mates. The chase was either not able to catch Ulmer, or wanted merely to keep her in check because by the time she crossed the 3rd climb out of 6 for the day, she was 50 seconds ahead. At 65km covered, Ulmer had a lead of 2 minutes 17 seconds - she was leader of the race on the road. 

At the top of the fourth climb, Fenixs rider,  Ilenia Lazzaro jumped off her bike at the waiting team car with mechanical problems. There then followed a couple of minutes of chaotic action, whilst her front wheel was moved to the waiting spare bike and her pedals removed from her bike, for fitting on the spare. Then, her front wheel was moved back to her own bike and it seemed she was going to be back on her way - that is until she pointed out that there were now no pedals on it. That problem was quickly rectified and despite Lazzaro's frustration at the delay, she was soon on her way. Thanks to the narrow descent, which would have slowed the group, as an individual, she managed to ride back to the slowest bunch, which is where she finished at the end of the stage. She was 16 minutes 35 seconds down on the winner along with 16 others.

As the race entered lap 3, the chase increased its pace. The gap was down to 1 minute 15 seconds. With 25km to go, Ulmer was caught. The race went over the final climb with the first bunch all together. Then, with 6km to go, on a fast downhill stretch, 8 riders forced their way off the front - Starhuskaia (Bianchi), Melchers van Poppel (Buitenpoort-Flexpoint), Joane Sommariba (Bizkaia-Panda Software), Bubnenkova (Fenixs), Christine Thorburn (USA), Puckinskaite (Nobili Rubinetterrie), Beutler (Fannini-Record Rox) and Maglia Rosa, Nicole Braendli. At 3 to go, as things were warming up for a sprint finish, Melchers van Poppel accelerated off the front and kept going. She kept going to the line, winning by 8 seconds from the chasers, who had been swept back up by the main group. The gap was small enough to keep Braendli in the lead and when the bunch sprinted in it was Young Rider competition leader, Giorgia Bronzini who took second from Olga Slyusareva. 

Post Race Comments

Speaking to WomensCycling .net just before the podium presentation, Mirjam Melchers van Poppel was obviously pleased to have won. "The win was fantastic". Her other major win for the year was the Tour of Flanders, a World Cup race, in April. Talking through the final kilometres, she explained "after the last climb, I was in a small group of 8 or 9 riders. That makes it hard to control and I saw my chance and I just went for it. The others hesitated, I saw Braendli chasing, but I felt really good so I thought I'd just 'go full' it was 5km to the finish and if they wanted to catch me, they would have to work. It was good to win - that's important and very good for the team too."

Results - Stage 5