Emma Johansson (Wiggle High5), Elizabeth Armitstead (Boels Dolmans Cycling Team) and Chantal Blaak (Boels Dolmans Cycling Team)
World Champion, Lizzie Armitstead signs in with her Boels Dolmans teammates - Flèche Wallonne Femmes(Image credit: Sean Robinson/Velofocus)
2016 Giro Rosa jerseys(Image credit: Giro Rosa)
Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv Woman Cycling Team) wins third Giro Rosa title(Image credit: Giro Rosa)
Colnago is the official sponsor of the Giro Rosa leader's jersey(Image credit: Giro Rosa)
The organisers of the 27th Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile have announced the 24 teams invited to participate in the 10-day race held from July 1-10.
In addition to the teams selection, the Italian race organiser has confirmed that current world champion and Women’s WorldTour leader Lizzie Armitstead will be at the start line with her Boels-Dolmans team.
The Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile will mark the 11th round of the inaugural Women’s WorldTour. Armitstead is leading the standings after the first seven rounds, of which she has won three; Strade Bianche, Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Cittiglio and Tour of Flanders. Her teammate Chantal Blaak won rounds two and four at Ronde van Drenthe and Gent-Wevelgem. Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv) won La Fleche Wallonne and Chloe Hosking (Wiggle High5) won the Tour of Chongming Island.
Armitstead leads the ranking with 368 points, ahead of Blaak with 343, while Megan Guarnier and Emma Johansson (Wiggle High5) each have 325 points.
There are three more rounds of the Women’s WorldTour before the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile and the standings could change between now and then. The series will continue on the west coast of the US at the Amgen Tour of California (May 19-22), then to the east coast at the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic (June 5) and over to Great Britain for the Aviva Women’s Tour (June 15-19).
This year's Giro d'Italia Internazionale Femminile will begin with a prologue in Gaiarine. They will take on a tough mountain finish to Tirano, passing over the challenging Mortirolo during stage 5. The riders will contest a second time trial, 21km to Varazze during stage 7. They will take on one final mountain stage to the Sanctuary of Madonna della Guardia in Alassio on the Ligurian coast on stage 8. The race ends with stage 9 in Verbania, on the northern shore of Lake Maggiore, north of Milan.
