Giro Rosa: Brand wins in Mantova

Lucinda Brand won the third stage at the Giro Rosa in Mantova on Monday, after coming in a close second during the sprint on the opening stage. Brand won a small nine-rider sprint to the finish line ahead of runner-up Valentina Scandolara (Orica-AIS) and third placed Elena Cecchini (Lotto Soudal Ladies).

Stage 2 winner and overall race leader Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) finished in the second group at 1:15 minutes behind Brand, however, she kept the pink leader's jersey. She will head into stage 4 with a two-second advantage over Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv) and five seconds over Ashlegh Moolman-Pasio (Bigla Pro Cycling Team). Brand has moved into fourth place, 12 seconds back.

Stage 3 took the riders along a relatively flat 130km stage from Curtatone to Mantove. There was only one climb on course, in Monzambano, nearly 80km away from the finish line. Lizzie Williams (Orica-AIS) was the first rider to attack but she was caught by the chasing field before the KOM, where Flavia Oliveira (Ale Cipollini) took the full set of points toward the mountain competition.

Following the climb, the select group of nine riders made their escape including Brand, Scandolara and Cecchini along with Mayuko Hagiwara (Wiggle Honda), Malgorzata Jasinska (Alè-Cipollini), Chiara Pierobon (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo), Claudia Lichtenberg (Liv-Plantur), Daiva Tuslaite (Inpa Sottoli Giusfredi) and Loren Rowney (Velocio-SRAM).

Orica-AIS' runner-up Scandolara was pleased with her performance after a disappointing stage 2. “I am double-happy because this morning I didn’t feel so good,” Scandolara said. “In the race I was conscious of this because it was even warmer today than yesterday so I tried not to waste energy in the break."

She went on to describe the final sprint between the nine riders in Mantova. “It came down to a sprint and I knew Brand was really fresh because she never worked in the breakaway, she was just protecting her GC rider.

“As we came into the last corner I had to take first position, but I knew it was too long to start the sprint myself. So Brand started it and squeezed me on the left so I had to take the long way to sprint. I was gaining and gaining but it was just too short to the line.”

The Giro Rosa will continue on Tuesday with stage 4. It will likely be a chance for the sprinters with a 103km flat stage from Pioltello to Pozzo d’Adda near Milan.

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