Giro Donne – Stage 8

by Monty. on Jul 10, 2009 2:25 PM EDT

It took me a bit of head-scratching to work out what happens today. After all the map makes it so so clear. What I make of it is this: the race starts in San Marco dei Cavotti, then takes the shortest route possible to the finish line in Pesco Sannita. At which point it makes an about turn and heads out of town by the same road to start on the northern loop over the 3rd category GPM climb Monte Sannita. It then follows the road back to San Marco dei Cavotti, on again to Pesco Sannita and out on a loop to the south over the second category climb at Molinari, back for a third time to San Marco dei Cavotti and on for the last time to Pesco Sannita.

The first climb looks pretty reasonable, but the second, according to an alternative profile I found in the forums at Cicloweb, is one of the nastiest of the week, and the only factor stopping it being classified as cat 1 is that it just isn’t quite high enough. Eight km at 7% could offer Columbia one last chance to drop Claudia Hausler and snatch the pink Jersey. This would be a great circuit even if things weren't so close.

For some further tales of life inside the race, check out the reports that Emma Mackie (Australian and teammate to Lizzie Armistead - now if only I could find a North American angle to her too) has been posting over at Italian Cycling Journal.

Rai Sport Piu will have half an hour of coverage at 18:30 local time. RAI 2 also seem to be interrupting their daily Tour coverage for a fifteen minute daily summary. Untimetabled, so it’s the luck of the draw if you get it or not.

The Map

The Profile

An alternative profile

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A slight correction

RAI2’s coverage is now timetabled for 17:30, right after they finish with the TdF.

by Monty. on Jul 11, 2009 4:14 AM EDT reply actions

Monty, one thing: it's Armitstead

not Armistead.

by tedvdw on Jul 11, 2009 7:27 AM EDT reply actions

I finallly twigged that just this morning

I was sort of hoping that no-one else had noticed, or had put it down to something I had copied from the organisers, although they seem to have sorted themselves out over the week. I think that I called Mara Abbott Maya one day too, and that definitely came from them. Thankfully I’ve avoided the Elisazabeth spelling so far.

by Monty. on Jul 11, 2009 7:45 AM EDT up reply actions

No worries, thanks a bunch for your reports

by tedvdw on Jul 11, 2009 7:55 AM EDT up reply actions

There's a nice interview

with her main rival Elena Berlato at Cicloweb

by Monty. on Jul 11, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions

This isn't the way we wanted the race to end

The big story today was that Judith Arndt, only 17s behind Claudia Hausler this morning, crashed out and was taken away in an ambulance. Reports suggest that it is nothing serious, just some nasty scrapes to her shoulder and back. Nothing caught on camera, but race radio reports say that her team-mate Sarah Duster tried to step the pace up to shake off Hausler and Arndt misjudged something. No pictures because the two RAI camerabikes were elsewhere.

This morning’s start looked like something out of the Godfather: a small town with some improbably grand stone buildings. Just the place for an assassination?

When RAI coverage began, Trixi Worrack was out alone.

One minute behind her and two minutes ahead of the field were four other riders, Svetlana Bubnenkova (Fenixs), Tatiana Guderzo (Michela Fanini), Shelly Olds (USA) and Loes Gunnewijk (Flexpoint)

And that’s pretty much how it stayed to the end. It souds like Columbia were getting set to start the chase when Arndt crashed out, and after that no-one else really cared; the stronger of the small teams had someone in the break, the others are fighting to keep up. Trixi even had time to high five her mechanic in the final k. And hopefully team driver Enrico Muax will posted a few bits of gossip later.

Shelley Olds won the sprint for second place

Claudia Hausler led “Le Big”

Because there’s probably someone here who knows her.

Claudia Hausler now has both pink and ciclamino jersies. Lizzie Armitstead gained 4 seconds on Elena Berlato on the final sprint for the line and will keep the white jersey if she finishes. Last of the mountains so Mara Abbott only has to push her bike across the line to keep green, but I’m sure she won’t be particularly elated right now.