Armitstead wins Trofeo Alfredo Binda

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World champion Lizzie Armitstead took back-to-back victories at Trofeo Alfreo Binda as she soloed to victory in Cittiglio on Sunday. The defending champion launched a late race attack meant to set teammate Megan Guarnier up for a victory. But Armitstead’s powerful attack turned into the race winning move. Guarnier won the chase group sprint for second. Jolanda Neff (Servetto Footon), who had led the race over the final time up the Orino, rounded out the podium.

“I did a little more work than what I was told to do on the radio,” said Armitstead. “On the final climb, Rabobank attacked, and because I had done a lot of work to keep the break going, I was dropped. I could see them, and I knew I had to come back.”

Armitstead worked her way across the gap on the Ornio, reaching the leaders on the summit. Neff had around a half-minute advantage at this point, and Armitstead decided to use what she thought would be her final match.

“I came directly back on the top of the climb,” said Armistead. “I attacked directly. It was my last move. Today we were working for Megan, and I was just being a teammate and doing a stupid attack. But nobody saw me coming from behind, and I had a lot of speed.”

Just beyond the three kilometre mark, Armitstead caught Neff. The duo had a five-second advantage over Guarnier’s chase group as they hit the finishing stretch.

“I jumped,” Armitstead explained. “I was sprinting for the line, and Neff couldn’t match my speed.”

“I only caught Jolanda just before the line,” said Guarnier. “We had already opened the sprint, and that’s how I overtook her.”

The Boels-Dolmans 1-2 in Cittiglio shows the team’s continued dominance in the UCI Women’s WorldTour. Three rounds into the inaugural series, and only riders from the Dutch-registered squad have managed to climb to the top step of the podium. Armistead won Strade Bianche at the beginning of March. Chantal Blaak followed suit at Ronde van Drenthe last weekend. Armistead is back on the top step, and back in the UCI Women’s WorldTour leader’s jersey, following round three.

“It’s all down to teamwork,” said Armitstead. “Absolutely.”

Armitstead insisted that it was work done by her teammates that allowed both her and Guarnier to be fresh enough to react when the race winning move went on the penultimate lap of the hilly 123.3 kilometre race. Although each of the 18-kilometre laps included only one GPM climb, the Orino, the entire circuit was rolling. The Cuvio, a steep kilometre-long unclassified climb at the start of each loop, played host to the race’s decisive move.

“The same selection kept happening on every climb,” said Guarnier. “It was just that nothing had stuck yet.”

“This one stuck because of fatigue,” Armistead added.

Armistead, Guarnier and Neff were joined up the road by Emma Johansson (Wiggle-High5), Alena Amialiusik (Canyon//SRAM), Annemiek van Vleuten (Orica-AIS) and Rabo-Liv pair Anna van der Breggen and Kasia Niewiadoma. Johansson led the group over the Orino, with 25 kilometres still to race, and by the time they reached the finish line for the start of the final local lap, they had a one-minute advantage over the main bunch.

Neff attacked on the Cuvio and quickly gained an advantage.

“I had in my ear our director telling me it wasn’t our responsibility to chase,” said Armitstead. “He said to stay calm and wait, but I was a little frustrated because I knew the peloton was not that far behind us. [Giorgia] Bronzini was still there. She was riding really strong today, and, of course, in her home WorldTour race, she’s going to be motivated. I didn’t want the peloton coming back.”

The work done by the world champion ensured the group’s success and her own. Armitstead’s pace-making kept the peloton at bay and eventually set the stage for the drop, chase to return and attack that delivered her first across the line, onto the first step, and into the UCI Women’s WorldTour leader’s jersey.

“I’m not interested in keeping the jersey,” said Armitstead, when asked if she planned to defend her lead in the Women’s WorldTour. “I have a nicer one.”

Then Armitstead laughed and added: “It gives me pride to be winning the Women’s WorldTour but it’s not a goal this season. I want to be Olympic champion. That’s my goal.”

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