Coryn Rivera: I had an angel on my shoulder today

Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) took her first Giro d'Italia Donne stage win in Cormons on the final stage 10 on Sunday. The American dedicated her victory to her late father, who died from the COVID-19 coronavirus this spring, and to her fiancé.

"He was watching me from above and that was for my dad and also it's my fiancé's birthday today and I'm not home, so those are for my two guys," Rivera said in a post-race interview in Cormons.

"I feel really strong and I have a lot of motivation - I had an angel on my shoulder today," said Rivera of her late father, who was a healthcare worker fighting the virus. He also introduced his daughter to cycling.

Rivera has been showing top form at this year’s race, including leading out her teammate Lorena Wiebes to victories on stage 5 and stage 8.

The 28-year-old attempted a stage win earlier in the race on stage 6, but was beaten by Movistar’s Emma Norsgaard and had to settle for second place. 

On stage 10, Rivera found herself in a select group off the front of the race including Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo), Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) and the pink jersey of Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx). 

In the final few kilometres, their lead was under one minute, and when it became clear that the break would stay away to the line, Deignan and Rivera, the fastest finishers, sat towards the back of the group. 

Chabbey rounded the final corner first with Deignan on her wheel and Rivera behind Deignan. Rivera stayed behind Deignan, forcing the Trek-Segafredo rider to lead out the sprint, eventually crossing the line first thanks to a well-timed bike throw. 

Rivera’s win was the first for the Team DSM rider since September 2019, where she won two consecutive stages of the Lotto Belgium Tour. 

It was also Team DSM’s third victory of the 10-day race and the only one for the team so far this season that did not come from Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes. The 2021 Giro Donne is the fourth edition of the race in which Rivera has taken part during her seven years as a professional cyclist. 

Rivera has been named to the four-rider team that will represent the US in the road race at the Tokyo Olympic Games, alongside Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM), Leah Thomas (Movistar) and Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo). 

Rivera will now turn her attention to the Olympics and travel to Tokyo to join her USA teammates, where she will take part in the road race on July 25th.