A high paced stage eight of the Giro Rosa today saw a three-rider group escape only in the last kilometres to snatch the victory. Marianne Vos (WM3) won the stage from the breakaway with Elena Cecchini finishing eighth as our best placed rider. “The peloton took the first climb after 25km really full gas.

It split the group and although the second time up the same climb (after 38km) we went a little more steady, the second group never came back to us,” said Cecchini after the finish.

“The next 40km really was attack after attack after attack. Alexis (Ryan) and I shared the workload and we kept Kasia out of trouble.”

“In the final climb, we were all in single file over the top but still together. The split happened after on the downhill and with such a short run into the finish that group stayed away.” The final two stages move to the home region of Cecchini, Friùli-Venezia Giulia.