Giro d'Italia Donne: Emma Norsgaard wins stage 6 sprint in Colico

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Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) has won stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia Donne. The Danish sprinter had been runner-up on stage 5 and moved up one place, winning the mass sprint at the end of a long and fast stage around the Lago di Como. 

Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) was second and Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) finished second third in Colico.

“This is amazing, it could not have gone any better. I am so proud of my team and myself, they always do a fantastic job, and this is the result of really good teamwork,” said Norsgaard after her sprint victory.

“I am really enjoying it here and love doing the Giro. The goals for the next days are maybe another win or another podium. And we have Aalerud who is a really good climber, I hope for her on stage 9,” Norsgaard finished.

Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx) continues to lead the general classification but had to relinquish the cyclamen jersey for the points classification to Vos after the latter’s third place.

How it unfolded

Stage 6 started and finished in Colico but was nevertheless the longest of the race at 157 kilometres, slightly lengthened after a last-minute route change. The stage mainly followed the shores of the Lago di Como, going around the lake counter-clockwise.

Despite being the longest of this year’s Giro Donne, the stage was raced very fast, finishing 23 minutes ahead of the fastest schedule. Due to this speed, nobody was able to break away in the first hour in which the riders covered 43.2 kilometres. 

Some minutes later, US champion Lauren Stephens (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) attacked and briefly held a 15-second advantage but was quickly reeled in again.

The next to attack was Italian Champion Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), taking off after 60 kilometres. She was joined by Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Team SD Worx), and together the two riders built an advantage of 2:25 minutes with 50km to go.

In the peloton, Team DSM and Jumbo-Visma were the main drivers of the chase and continually reduced the gap in the last hour of racing. Eventually, Longo Borghini and Moolman-Pasio were caught with 13km to go.

Nearing Colico, Australian champion Sarah Roy (Team BikeExchange) tried to anticipate a mass sprint by attacking on a short ascent just inside the four-kilometre mark. She was followed by Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM), but the two were reeled in two kilometres from the finish.

Team DSM, Ceratizit-WNT, Canyon-SRAM and Trek-Segafredo all set up trains for their sprinters and battled for the front positions while Norsgaard free-lanced and jumped from wheel to wheel. 

On the finishing straight, stage 5 winner Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) led out her teammate Rivera, but Norsgaard was on Wiebes’ wheel as well and had the top speed to the line, beating Rivera and Vos to win her first Giro Donne stage.