Reigning World Champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) took the Women's WorldTour lead with her sprint victory at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda on Sunday afternoon. It was an all-Italian podium as Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ) and Soraya Paladin (Canyon-SRAM) finished second and third, respectively, in the reduced bunch sprint in Cittiglio.
The 129.4km route was disrupted just after 50 kilometres were completed with the entire peloton stopped and the race neutralised with a car crash ahead of the race blocking the route. A detour was created after a 45-minute delay, adding a few kilometres to the race distance, and the three breakaway riders allowed to re-start with a 30-second advantage - Gulnaz Khatuntseva (Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad), Michaela Drummond (BePink), and Giorgia Vettorello (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo).
The break was later caught and attacks commenced when the peloton reached the four final finishing circuits, each lap 17.6km with two climbs, a short steep ascent to Casale and a longer, more gradual climb to Orino.
In the final kilometre, Marlen Reusser brought the SD Worx train to the front, and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak started her sprint after the last turn with 300 metres to go. As Van den Broek-Blaak faded, Balsamo came past on her right with superior speed to take the victory.
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Results - top 10
Pos.
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women
3:36:29
2
Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
3
Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon-Sram Racing
4
Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) SD Worx
5
Elena Cecchini (Ita) SD Worx
6
Coryn Labecki (USA) Jumbo-Visma
7
Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-Sram Racing
8
Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
9
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
Trofeo Alfredo Binda is one of the oldest women's races on the calendar celebrating its 46th anniversary in 2022.
The race began in 1974 won by Giuseppina Micheloni. Belgian Nicolle Van Den Broeck won the second edition in 1975, followed by a long line of Italian Champions for the next 21 years between 1976 and 1996.
Those winners included Maria Canins, who won the race four times in 1984 and 1985 and again in 1990 and 1992. Emanuela Menuzzo won in 1978 and 1981, and Elisabetta Fanton won the race in 1988 and 1989.
Fabiana Luperini is also a multi-time winner of Trofeo Alfredo Binda securing the titles in 1994 and 2000, while Valeria Cappellotto won titles in 1995 and 1996.
The event formed part of the former World-Cup series of one-day races in 2008 and has been part of the Women's WorldTour since its inception in 2016, attracting a much more international field.
Marianne Vos is the only other rider to rival Maria Canins' four victories having won the race in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2019. Other more recent multi-time winners include Nicole Cooke (2005, 2007), Emma Pooley (2008, 2011), Lizzie Deignan (2015, 2016), and Elisa Longo Borghini (2013, 2021).
