Elisa Balsamo secures women's road race title at Italian Road Championships

By published

World Champion beats Rachele Barbieri and Barbara Guarischi in sprint

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Elisa Balsamo wins women's road race at Italian Road Championships (Image credit: Sprint Cycling Agency)
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Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) won her first elite women's road race title at the Italian Championships. The reigning World Champion won the sprint to take the title from runner-up Rachele Barbieri (Liv Racing Xstra) and third-placed Barbara Guarischi (Movistar Team).

The women raced a pan-flat route between Medolla and San Felice sul Panaro under warm 40 Celcius. The race was all together at the 60km mark indicating that the field looked all but set for a bunch sprint.

Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini, who normally races for Trek-Segafredo, lined up in the Fiamme Oro-Polizia jersey for the national championships.

A group of three emerged with 40km to go that included Elena Pirrone (Fiamme Oro), Francesca Pisciali (Team Mendelspeck), Iris Monticello (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo). 

The trio gained just under a minute on the field led by teams Be Pink, Isolmant Premac Vittoria, Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria and Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo.

The field back together in the closing kilometres, Balsamo was fastest to the line taking her first elite women's road race title.

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Kirsten Frattini

Kirsten Frattini is an honours graduate of Kinesiology and Health Science from York University in Toronto, Canada. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's WorldTour. She has worked in both print and digital publishing, and started with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. Moving into a Production Editor's role in 2014, she produces and publishes international race coverage for all men's and women's races including Spring Classics, Grand Tours, World Championships and Olympic Games, and writes and edits news and features. As the Women's Editor at Cyclingnews, Kirsten also coordinates and oversees the global coverage of races, news, features and podcasts about women's professional cycling.

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