A fitting close to the outstanding career of Italy’s 35-year-old Giorgia Bronzini came on Sunday with a win at the line in the La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta.
Bronzini and Australia’s Sarah Roy managed to hold on to their final breakaway in the final 2 km of the last of the 17 laps of 5.9 km in Madrid, just ahead of a large chase pack that caught them near the finish.
It was the second win of the year for Bronzini and adds to a brilliant career resume that included two World Road Race Championships in 2010 and 2011 and eight stage wins in the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Feminille.
The two-stage race ended with Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk winning the overall title after her Team Sunweb squad won the Team Time Trial on Saturday. Coryn Rivera of the U.S. was second in the overall standings. Summaries:
La Madrid Challenge
Spain ~ 15-16 September 2018
(Full results here)
Stage 1 (12.6 km Team Time Trial): 1. Team Sunweb (NED), 17.40: 2. Wiggle High5 (GBR), 17:58; 3. Mitchelson-Scott (AUS), 18:26; 4. BTC City Ljubljana (SLO), 18:32; 5. Cogeas-Mettler Pro Cycling (RUS), 18:50.
Stage 2 (100.3 km): 1. Giorgia Bronzini (ITA), 2:17:28; 2. Sarah Roy (AUS), 2:17:28; 3. Charlotte Becker (GER), 2:17:28; 4. Ilaria Sanguineti (ITA), 2:17:28; 5. Audrey Cordon-Ragot (FRA), 2:17:28. Also in the top 50: 18. Coryn Rivera (USA), 2:17:41.
Final Standings: 1. Ellen van Dijk (NED), 2:35:03; 2. Coryn Rivera (USA), +0:11; 3. Audrey Cordon-Ragot (FRA), +0:15; 4. Leah Kirchmann (CAN), +0:18; 5. Liane Lippert (GER), +0:24.
