Giro Donne Stage 9: Livigno - Stelvio
by Monty. on Jul 9, 2010 1:42 PM EDT
in Women's Cycling
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Print10th July - 68.5km
Let’s do it. ‘Cos others here have already claimed it’s business time. If you’ve been following the Giro so far, then the one thing you are probably thinking is are we there yet? Well now after some 740km, the pass that dare not speak its name is just a few kilometres down the road, 50 to be precise. And last night for the first time since leaving Muggia last weekend the riders were able to ride to their hotels from the finish line in Livigno. Livigno is actually a bit of an oddity in Italy. It is in such a remote spot in the mountains that there are only three roads that lead in and out, two of them go to Switzerland, and one is a tunnel that doesn’t let cyclists through. In other words there’s only one way for the race to go and that’s forwards over the Passo Foscagno to Bormio. In a sop thrown to the non-climbers, the stage opens with two circuits around Livigno first, as if someone thought that it was possible to get enough momentum on the flat to catapult you over the hills. Ha Ha. Carry on over for more detail on the route.
The first climbs of the day aren’t too bad. Here taken from salite.ch are the profiles of the two ascents en route to Bormio:
And here are the corresponding descents, which look far nastier (remember they will be travelling from right to left):
So if some crazy descender wanted to gain a bit of a cushion early in the day there may be the opportunity. Someone like Marianne Vos, say, who could reach Bormio with enough of a lead to force Tatiana Guderzo to leave the comfort of that group following behind the Abbott and Pooley show. Guderzo spoke after stage 7 of her surprise that the rest of the group she was with let Vos come back, and she is the one with the most to lose, as she only has a cushion of 33 seconds protecting her third place on the podium. Here’s today’s route on bikemap if you want to see where the crests occur on the map.
Of course all that is the appetiser for the Stelvio. It’s not as long as yesterday’s ascent of the Maloja pass, coming in just under 20km, but it’s a bit steeper, averaging 7%, and more crucially it’s at the business end of the race. Here’s what it looks like from the front seat of a car, via your computer monitor (note: this isn’t the side with the 50 hairpins, but the one with the dark, narrow, twisty tunnels – If only Tyler Farrar was here for us):
via www.girodonne.it
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YOU LINKED TO LET'S DO IT!!!!
Oh god, Monty, just when I think your previews can’t get any better! You are fabulous!
Whoops, the second video wasn't meant to be the Simpsons
fixed it now.
Oooh, stelvio!
Can’t wait to see how this one goes down :)
What is it, only 19 seconds between Abbott and Arndt? Should be good.
Another great vid of the Stelvio
is this one
Los Geht's Deutschland!!!!
I'm proud of you boys, get them in 2014 when you really hit your prime!
Quitter's People United member # 42
The situation after Foscagno
Pooley show on climbing, but she was catched up and dropped on the descent…
12 cyclists in the first group, all the best of the general classification are here.
http://www.cicloweb.it/news/2010/07/10/giro-donne-la-situazione-in-corsa-live-dopo-il-foscagno.html
by Redazione Cicloweb on Jul 10, 2010 7:32 AM EDT reply actions
The girls are on the Stelvio!!!
Great attack by Emma Pooley, come back in the group of the best cyclists in the first kms of the Stelvio and then gone on. Then Abbott has been able to join Emma, and together they are going to the Gpm line.
At the same time, Guderzo is climbing very well, and she has dropped Häusler and then Arndt, and now is alone chasing Mara&Emma.
http://www.cicloweb.it/news/2010/07/10/giro-donne-la-situazione-in-corsa-live-sullo-stelvio.html
Alè!!!
by Redazione Cicloweb on Jul 10, 2010 8:02 AM EDT reply actions
I forgot
Unfortunately Amber Neben has fallen and has had to leave the Giro. Now she is going to the hospital for clinical exhaminations. :(
Good luck Amber!
by Redazione Cicloweb on Jul 10, 2010 8:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Second year in succession that she's crashed out
Good luck, and I hope that she gets a team for next year.
I really don't understand Cervélo's tactics
I mean, why was Emma attacking? surely she should have been supporting Claudia to try to take a podium spot? Unless Cervélo had given up on the GC, and wanted a stage win instead? I love Emma, she’s a fabulous cyclist, but it’s hard to understand!
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 8:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Top 10
1. Mara Abbott, Team USA
2. Emma Pooley, Cervélo, + 27
3. Judith Arndt, HTC, + 1’43"
4. Tatiana Guderzo, Valdarno, +1’50"
5. Tatiana Antoshina, Valdarno, 2’58"
6. Evgenya Vyotska, Valdarno, + 3’27"
7. Claudia Häusler, Cervélo, + 3’38"
8. Edwige Pitel, SC Michela Fanini, + 5’55"
9. Olga Zabelinskaya, Safi, +7’15"
10. Marianne Vos, Netherlands, +7’44"
results from Cicloweb
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Cicloweb's finish line video
Here and their interview on teh Stelvio with Manel Lacambra, USA DS and teeter extraordinaire – See Manel Speak!
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 11:10 AM EDT reply actions
Even the RAI commentators made a point of thanking Guiseppe Cristiani of Cicloweb for his coverage
all of us here agree with them. Many thanks to them for their efforts.
Definitely!
I’ve really appreciated it
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Cicloweb's finish line video
Here and their interview on teh Stelvio with Manel Lacambra, USA DS and teeter extraordinaire – See Manel Speak!
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 11:38 AM EDT reply actions
Mara
On the silver throne of joy – and again – and on the podium – from Cicloweb’s album
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 11:42 AM EDT reply actions
CJ Faquharson
has some amazing pics – like this one of Mara – check her albums
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
A few screenshots
RAI opened with a couple of minutes from yesterday. I’m not sure how far they are from Forco di Livignano, but Mara is already way ahead.
She pushed it all the way to the line
Emma by contrast seemed a lot slower and more tired
Moving on to today, Emma attacked on the Eira. Maybe she wanted to get a lock on the green jersey (yesterday she and Mara had 30 points apiece).
Now we moved on to the Stelvio. here Marianne Vos and Edwige Pitel fall off the lead group. I’ve been impressed by both this week (and don’t shout it too much, but Edwige is one of those in the Older-Than-Ina group)
Emma is the first to take a flier off the front
I guess it’s the obvious thing to do when the view in front looks like this
She got a lead of almost one zig-zag bit
Can you see Mara, boys and girls?
Tatiana Guderzo almost managed to bridge up
Mara kicked once more about 2km from the finish line
Inside the last km. Mara, being from Boulder, probably recognises that white stuff. Emma, from Norwich, maybe not
I’ve always wanted to do this while going along in a car.
I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason why there’s a squashed from on Mara’s head
Current jersey holders. Most of those are secure, but Vos is leads Ina Teutenberg 73-60 in the points competition. Assuming that Teutenberg gets 20 tomorrow, Vos needs to finish somewhere the front (near as in “I haven’t checked the rules for how the points are awarded”)
Edwige
comes in the “older than Ina, younger than Jeannie” category!
Oh, and given Emma’s from Norwich, I’m surprised she knows what a mountain looks like!
Thanks for all the screenshots and recaps, Monty, I really appreciate them
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 10, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
An interesting moment...
in the highlights..by the way thank you to all those responsible for making these available, I have really enjoyed following the Giro!! I couldn’t have done this without you!! Will any of you be making the trip down under in September?
Um…did Mara Abbott squeal @ the camera?
I like bikes!!!
Bec*
Mara's always brilliant when she wins
best victory smile (and squeal) in the peloton
Cervelo have put out a press release
“It was a tough race but our riders did a good job,” said Egon van Kessel, Cervélo TestTeam Sports Director. "Emma was dropped in the last descent and was a 1:20 behind the leaders when they came to the Stelvio. Carla Ryan (AUS) helped her and Emma moved back into the lead group in the first part of the uphill. She also attacked and tried to escape but it didn’t worked out and finally Mara Abbott found her chance 1.5 km from the top. Emma did not have the power to follow anymore, maybe losing too much in the chase. Also Claudia also rode a strong race. She was always on the offensive searching for her chance with the motto ‘top or flop’. At the end she finished among the top ten and now enjoys a top five GC position.
Is Emma getting spooked about descending again? I thought she was OK in the first half of the season.
I've loved CJ Farquharson's photos for ages
without knowing who takes them – they’re the ones that turn up on the cycling news sites, and on Team Press Releases, and best of all, on the www.womenscycling.net race reports. But I only just found her site. Check out her gallery of the Stelvio on her site, and more on the women’s cycling report page
I was wondering that
I’d assumed it was – so if CJ is ever reading this ever, THANKYOU!
(Oh, and am assuming CJ is a woman from some article that said she won an award….)
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 11, 2010 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions
You can see her in quite a few of the Giro videos.
big floppy hat, jacket with lots of pockets, carrying lots of cameras.
God, I'm so jealous!
The idea of getting paid to follow the women’s peloton and take lots of photos…. If only!
I was loving all her fisheye lens shots of the podium – I look at her pics and there’s always a part of me always trying to work out what equipment she uses, and lusting after her cameras/lenses, even while I’m thinking “wow, what a picture!”
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 11, 2010 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions
CJ
is from Melbourne, she works as freelance so I don’t think its as glamourous as it sounds! Although, yes the thought of travelling the world taking photo’s of cycling for a living sounds mighty attractive to me! I think she has a few deals with some teams to use her photo’s on there websites etc, HTC is one I know of for sure, I think Cervelo also? She is awesome I agree! & a great character! I took this earlier in the year when the sun was shining…
I like bikes!!!
Bec*
Cervélo definitely use her
I can’t imagine it brings in much cash, and women’s cycling seems more staying-in-static-caravans-and-sleeping-3-to-a-room, so imagine it’s pretty shoe-string, but I’d absolutely LOVE to do it, just once!
Love that pic, Bec!
by Sarah Connolly on Jul 13, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Here are a few more photos
from the hotel the US team stayed in at Livigno. Here’s Mara cutting that cake, and here are some shots from the start of Stage 9. They also link to this local news report which gives more details on how the day developed. Abbott got away from Pooley on the descent of the Bernina, began the ascent of the Forcola with a twenty second lead which she held all the way to the top then extended on the descent into Livigno. Arndt and Guderzo crossed the Forcola a minute and a half behind Pooley and reduced the gap to about 10 seconds by the finish line.
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