Giro Rosa: Barbara Guarischi wins stage 1 sprint

Italian Barbara Guarischi (Velocio-SRAM) took out the sprint on the first road stage of the 2015 Giro Rosa, topping Lucinda Brand (Rabo-Liv), who now wears the maglia rosa, and her own teammate Tiffany Cromwell in Ljubljana. The win comes as a satisfying result after a challenging season of second finishes, and a broken rib suffered several weeks ago. Guarischi leads in the best Italian rider classification, the blue jersey.

“This win is really amazing. I have waited so long for it and I can’t believe that I have won today, a stage of the Giro!” Guarischi said. “My team worked perfect for me in the last kilometres. When we turned the corner I could feel that Tiff was still with me. Brand went early, and I knew there was a head wind so I waited and I went with 100 metres to go.”

The day began in Kamnik, Slovenia, on a 102.5 kilometre stage finishing back in Ljubljana at the scene of the prologue. Looking at the profile it would be a day for the sprinters, despite a seven-kilometre climb slotted in the middle. Malgorzata Jasinska (Alé-Cipollini), Chantal Hoffman (Lotto Soudal Ladies), and Ana Maria Covrig (BePink-LaClassica) established an early break but were caught by the chasing peloton only five kilometres to go as the teams organized to deliver their sprinters to the line.

“The girls did a great job today, we couldn’t be happier.” Beth Duryea, director sportif for Velocio-Sram added. “We set a plan before the race and they have followed it through right to the last corner. It’s great to see Barbara take the win, it’s well deserved and she hasn’t stopped smiling since.”

Prologue winner Annemiek van Vleuten (Bigla) dropped to third overall, as Brand took over the maglia rosa after gaining valuable time at the finish. The Dutchwoman leads Guarischi on the general classification by a mere four seconds.

Wearing the maglia rosa is the best result thus far in Lucinda Brand’s career. “This is so cool,” Brand told reporters following the podium ceremony. “The last kilometre Anna van der Breggen came to head with me at the wheel, and it went so well and so hard. I could not hold the pace well enough to win but to take the jersey, that is very beautiful.”

Besides the maglia rosa held by Brand and Guarischi in blue, Annemiek van Vleuten holds the Ciclamino or points classification jersey, with Brand's teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevost (Rabo-Liv) in the white, best young rider jersey. Malgorzata Jasinska (Alé-Cipollini) leads the green climbers classification jersey.

The race returns to Italy for Stage 2, from Gaiarine to San Fior in Trevisio.

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