Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig claims Giro dell'Emilia Donne

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig bounded up the Colle San Luca to claim victory at the Giro dell’Emilia Donne ahead of her FDJ-Suez teammate Marta Cavalli, with Juliette Labous (Team dsm-firmenich) completing the podium.

As anticipated, the 103km race was decided on the twin ascents of the San Luca in the finale, though Sophie Wright (Fenix-Deceuninck) railed against the odds with a solo attack that saw her build a lead of half a minute on the peloton.

The Briton had been reeled in, however, by the time the race reached Bologna for the grand finale on the evocative, porticoed climb from Porta Saragozza to the hilltop Basilica della Madonna di San Luca.

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The race ignited thanks to Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ), who accelerated with intent on the first ascent of the short, sharp climb. Her effort split the race into shards, and only a baker’s dozen of riders remained in contention over the top, where the Italian was joined by Urška Žigart, Ane Santesteban (Jayco-ALuka), Labous, Liane Lippert (Team dsm-firmenich), Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek), and the FDJ-Suez trio of Cavalli, Uttrup Ludwig and Évita Muzic.

That group would tackle the lap of the finishing circuit together before breaking up on the second climb of the San Luca, where Uttrup Ludwig proved the strongest. The Dane pressed clear to claim an emphatic solo victory, while her teammate Cavalli came home in second place. Labous took third ahead of Realini and Santesteban.

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