Rivera wins Trofeo Alfredo Binda

American Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) sprinted to her first career Women's WorldTour victory in Cittiglio on Sunday. The 24-year-old survived the hilly 131km Trofeo Alfredo Binda circuit race to win a reduced bunch sprint ahead of Arlenis Sierra (Astana) and Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (Cérvelo-Bigla). It is first time in more than a decade that the one-day Italian classic has been contested by a group larger than ten riders.

"This one tops it all," said Rivera in a post-podium press conference. "I didn't doubt myself. I really had to fight and to push. The team worked hard to get me in the position to be there and be ready to fight for the finish."

Ellen van Dijk's efforts were the most obvious amongst Rivera's teammates. The Dutchwoman marked dangerous moves in the last two of four total circuit laps and provided Rivera with an unmatched lead-out in the slightly uphill sprint.

"She's totally instrumental in our teamwork," said Rivera, when asked about Van Dijk. "Her power and strength are unreal. If she hadn't caught back on to the group, and I didn't have the same lead-out she gave me, I think the final would have been a lot harder for me."

Both Van Dijk and Rivera are both new signings for strengthened Team Sunweb. Van Dijk made the move from Boels-Dolmans while Rivera came over from UnitedHealthcare.

While Rivera may not be a name familiar to Europeans, she's a household name for American cycling fans. She dominated the admittedly sparse junior ranks and split her first four years as an elite between pursuing her undergraduate degree from Marion University while making a name for herself as the top sprinter racing on US soil. Rivera graduated last spring and signed with the Dutch-registered squad in the summer.

How it unfolded

The third round of the UCI Women's WorldTour began in sunny Taino in the province of Varese. Starters included two-time defending champion Lizzie Deignan (Boels Dolmans) and three-time former winner Marianne Vos (WM3).

Crashes punctuated the opening kilometres that brought the peloton to Cittiglio for the first passage of the finish line. A trio of riders – Anna Trevisi (Alé Cipollini), Silvia Valsecchi (Bepink Cogeas) and Simone Frapporti (Hitec Products) entered the circuit with a 17-second advantage over the peloton.

The peloton swept up the escape over the Cunardo. By the end of the 38km opening lap, Anna Zita Maria Stricker (BTC City Ljubljana) and Lija Laizane (Aromitalia Vaiano) had slipped away. The duo had pocketed 20 seconds on the second passage of the finish line for the first of four 18km laps.

The move was short-lived. Laizane was the first to rejoin the peloton. Stricker maintained her small advantage until the second ascent of the Ornio. While the early laps presented few challenges for the strongest in the bunch, the back of the pack suffered with riders losing contact on every climb.

Jessica Allen (Orica-Scott) attacked on the second time around the small circuit and immediately opened up an advantage. The Australian criterium champion held off the peloton for nearly 20 kilometres.

"I was away longer than I thought I would be," said Allen. "Georgia [Williams] and I were to attack when there was a good moment. I saw a good moment and had a crack. Unfortunately, I was out solo. It would have been nice to have more people out there with me."

The bunch split over the climb to Casalzuigno but regrouped on the descent. Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-Sram) was the next to slip away. She held her advantage until the race hit the Ornio – the steep slopes spelling the end to her escape attempts.

Historically, the first of the race-winning selections has been made at this point in the race, but a large group descended off the Ornio toward the finish for the lap lap. Across the finish line, Australian national champion Katrin Garfoot (Orica-Scott), Shara Gillow (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), Alena Amialiusik (Canyon-Sram) and Vos had several seconds on Van Dijk. The peloton set off for the final lap 10 seconds behind the front-runners.

Despite the strength of the group, the escape was unable to hold onto its advantage. Boels Dolmans led the chase and kept the pace high up to Casalzuigno – but not high enough to prevent further escapes.

Garfoot, who lives and trains in nearby Gavirate, had attacked again. UCI Women's WorldTour leader Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle-High5), Kasia Niewiadoma (WM3), Hanna Nilsson (BTC City Ljubljana), Sierra, Amialiusik and Rivera gave chase with Annemiek van Vleuten, Garfoot's teammate, enjoying a free ride.

Before the chasers could reach Garfoot, a reduced peloton had reconnected with the group. Longo Borghini jumped again. Niewiadoma followed. The duo plowed past Garfoot over the Ornio.

The trio included some of the best climbers in the race but perhaps not the most daring descenders. On the technical drop back down to Cittiglio there was a regrouping, and it was this regrouping that opened the door for the reduced bunch sprint.

Two hundred metres from the finish line, Rivera opened her sprint. The dash for the line turned into a two-women race with Sierra nearly able to match Rivera's powerful kick. Uttrup Ludwig finished two bike lengths back to round out the podium. The trio were recorded as two seconds quicker than the remainder of the bunch, which was led in by Chantal Blaak (Boels-Dolmans)

"I couldn't do it without my teammates. They believed in me, and I paid them back by believing in myself," said Rivera. "I might be small but I think I definitely put a stamp in it today."

Longo Borghini managed ninth in the sprint to maintain her spot atop the UCI Women's WorldTour overall classification. Uttrup Ludwig took back the blue youth classification jersey from compatriot Amalie Dideriksen. The road world champion and Ronde van Drenthe winner sat out the third round of the UCI Women's WorldTour.

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