SD Worx-Protime entered this year's edition of the Giro d'Italia Women with two potential cards to play in the overall classification with World Champion Lotte Kopecky and four-time winner Anna van der Breggen, but both riders have hemorrhaged valuable time in the GC standings due to unexpected circumstances.
Stage 4 marked the second of three summit finishes at this year's event, and Kopecky let the GC favourites go on almost from the start of the finishing climb to Pianezze.
The world champion, who had already lost time on the stage 2 climb to Aprica, crossed the finish line over 19 minutes behind stage winner Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal).
SD Worx-Protime sport director Danny Stam explained that Kopecky is suffering from lower back pain.
“Lotte has pain in her lower back; that’s why things didn’t go as they should on the climbs. Under these circumstances, there was little point in going all-out on the finishing climb, and Lotte chose to take it easy,” Stam told Het Laatste Nieuws.
Kopecky rode to the finish together with Elena Cecchini, and even the team’s sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who won stage 3 into Trento, finished a few minutes ahead of them.
“We also came to this Giro to boost morale for the Tour, so it’s definitely not great. It’s not what we hoped for, but panicking now or drawing conclusions before the Tour won’t get us anywhere either. We trust in our process, and Lotte is still in good spirits,” Stam continued.
Van der Breggen, who won the Giro d'Italia on four occasions in 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2021, chose to set a steady pace at the front of the group of favourites for much of the final climb.
However, when Marlen Reusser (Movistar) accelerated just inside the 3km mark, the 35-year-old couldn’t follow. In the end, Van der Breggen finished 1:52 minutes behind Gigante and dropped to sixth overall, 1:53 minutes down on Reusser.
“Anna isn’t super, but not bad either. It doesn’t go for her as we had hoped either, but the Giro is not over yet,” said Stam.
The pan-flat stage 5 on Thursday is earmarked for Wiebes, and Van der Breggen still has the last three stages to hunt stage victories and possibly improve her GC placing.
The final stage, in particular, holds good memories for Van der Breggen as it finishes on the same Imola circuit where she won the 2020 World Championships.
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