Having taken the Giro d'Italia Women overall lead with her stage 4 mountain time trial victory, Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) had to defend the maglia rosa on stage 5, a hard mountain stage through the Dolomites.
With the help of her four teammates, in particular Valentina Cavallar, the 36-year-old finished in the front group of four, not losing any time and crossing the line in second place behind Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez).
"It was a good day, but also a hard day, really. The climbs in the end were hard; they [Vollering and Niedermaier] made a hard pace. It was a long day of suffering, so I'm really happy that I survived it in the front and that I still wear the pink jersey," Van der Breggen expressed her satisfaction at the overall leader's press conference.
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A large breakaway consisting of 22 riders formed early on the 146 km stage, with most teams having one or even several riders in the front group.
"We expected it, they also try to have riders in front and to bridge over later in the race. We had Valentina there, but we also needed to trust the other teams a bit on the climbs. In the end, it all got back together again. It was a really good fight for the stage and a deserved winner today."
After being one of the strongest riders in the breakaway, Cavallar could still provide support for Van der Breggen in the final after the break was caught. The 25-year-old Austrian climber played a key role in the maglia rosa defence, shutting down attacks in the valley between the two ascents of the Costa climb.
"Valentina is doing really well, the work she did was impressive, and she's pretty good in the GC as well. To have her in the front was a big help, knowing that if we come there, Valentina is still there. And if something happens, you have somebody there to pull for you. The other girls did well in the beginning of the stage, Gerri [Femke Gerritse] survived the first climb. It's a small team, but I know they give it 100%," said Van der Breggen.
After trying to keep a steady pace on the climb, the maglia rosa put the pressure on her competitors in the descent, pushing for and creating small gaps through the hairpins.
"It was not planned, but it was the second time we did this descent. It was quite a technical descent, and I knew that I wanted to be in front because I can go a little bit faster if I can choose my own line. And if I have a gap, I could go until the finish and go for a stage win. If not, it's the safest to be first anyway," Van der Breggen explained.
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