Giro Rosa: Gutierrez wins stage 7 in Baronissi

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Sheyla Gutierrez (Cylance Pro Cycling) sprinted to her first UCI Women's WorldTour victory at the Giro Rosa on Thursday. The Spanish road champion was part of a 12-rider breakaway that held off the peloton into Baronissi. Soraya Paladin (Alé Cipollini) and Eugenia Bujak (BTC City Ljubljana) rounded out the stage seven podium.

Thursday's 142-kilometre stage was the longest, hilliest and hottest of the Giro Rosa yet. Touted as a stage for the overall contenders, it was instead a day largely dominated by the escapees. Gutierrez and her break-mates slipped away from the peloton shortly after the peloton had completed the opening hour of racing.

The eventual podium finishers were joined up the road by: Chloe Hosking (Alé Cipollini), Alison Jackson (BePink-Cogeas), Tatiana Guderzo (Lensworld - Kuota), Alexis Ryan and Elena Cecchini (Canyon//SRAM), Carmela Cipriani (Conceria Zabri-Fanini-Guerciotti), Clara Koppenburg (Cervelo-Bigla), Rosella Ratto (Cylance), Sabrina Stultiens (Team Sunweb) and Lauren Kitchen (WM3 Energie). Hosking would eventually fall off the pace, leaving 12 up front. With Stultiens the best-placed overall amongst the front-runners, sitting in 12th place at 5:52, the group was allowed a long leash – a maximum gap of 3:30.

The leaders reached the second category climb at Montemiletto 1:42 ahead of the bunch. The peloton split in the break's wake with a 25-30 rider group forming behind the breakaway. Early reports indicate that all overall contenders and jerseys made the front split although full results have not been made available to confirm.

The front group closed in on the breakaway during the final hour of racing, but the gap was too big and the break not threatening enough to the overall to shut down before the line. Gutierrez took the stage seven win X seconds ahead of the first chase group.

The upper end of the general classification was left largely untouched. Olympic road champion Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) hangs onto the maglia rosa. Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle-High5) remains second overall at 1:03; Annemiek van Vleuten (Orica-Scott) at 1:39.

The Giro Rosa continues with another long and hilly stage on Friday. The peloton will cover 142-kilometre between Baronissi and Palinuro.

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