CHIARA RUES MISSED OPPORTUNITY AFTER ANOTHER GIRO PODIUM

Chiara Consonni sprinted to her second podium in as many days at the Giro d’Italia Women, but was left frustrated by her ride in the final few hundred metres, believing victory was well within her grasp.

An elusive win looked more achievable than ever for both Chiara and the team, who executed a far more cohesive finale than they had 24 hours earlier in a chaotic stage 1.

With 3km remaining, Justyna Czapla rose to the occasion at the head of the peloton while Chiara sat a couple of wheels back. Maike van der Duin then took over, holding front position alongside UAE Team ADQ as the race roared through corners that slowed and stretched the bunch. Maike fought hard to accompany Chiara into the last turn with 700m remaining, and from there, the Italian expertly manoeuvred her way into second wheel with 300m to go.

An emotional Chiara explained immediately after the finish that she had found herself in the perfect position, but simply hesitated, lacking the conviction to launch first and force her rivals to respond. It was only when stage winner Balsamo (LTK) and second-placed Gillespie (UAD) surged from behind that Chiara opened her sprint. By then, she had already lost the decisive split seconds.

Chiara crossed the line upset, banging her fist on the handlebars as she immediately knew where she had gone wrong. A photo finish later confirmed her in third place, rounding out the podium to mirror the revised stage 1 results.

After a chance to cool down and process the result, Chiara reflected on the near miss.

“The result… we can do better as always, if it’s not a win. But, I think a good thing is that as a team, we really improved compared to yesterday. And I’m happy about this. We raced all together, and also in the final, I had the girls by my side. I think I need to change something in my mind, but overall, I’m happy about the performance, and what I did.”

The terrain for stage 3 is set to become tougher; total elevation metres doubled from stage 1 to 2, and will again from stage 2 to 3.

The 156km through the far north-eastern Friuli corner of Italy begins with roughly 80km of flat roads, before a series of short rises begin to pepper the parcours. After passing the finish with 45km remaining, riders will tackle the stage’s defining feature – a savage 2.5km climb, with the final 1.5km averaging 11 percent. It’s a challenge that could almost certainly bring an end to the sprinters’ run of opportunities.

Another key point is that while the final 15km are flat and straightforward, the last 300m drag up steadily, demanding a different effort to the finishes seen so far.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Stage 3 | Mon, June 1 | Bibione – Buja | 156km | 1025m elevation | 13:30 – 17:27 CET | Live 15:30

Stage 4 | Tue, June 2 | Belluno – Nevegal | 12.7km (ITT) | 710m elevation | 13:20 CET | Live 14:20

Stage 5 | Wed, June 3 | Longarone – Sante Stefano di Cadore | 145.9km | 3331m elevation | 12:55 – 17:18 CET | Live 15:30

Stage 6 | Thu, June 4 | Ala – Brescello | 159.5km | 654m elevation | 13:50 – 17:27 CET | Live 15:30

Stage 7 | Fri, June 5 | Sorbolo Mezzani – Salice Terme | 159.5km | 928m elevation | 12:40 – 16:59 CET | Live 15:10

Stage 8 | Sat, June 6 | Rivoli – Sestriere | 106km | 2900m elevation | 14:00 – 17:14 CET | Live 15:20

Stage 9 | Sun, June 7 | Saluzzo – Saluzzo | 145.5km | 2072m elevation | 13:15 – 17:12 CET | Live 15:20

Live coverage is available on TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO Max, FloBikes, SBS, RAI and other national broadcasters. Follow the race each day on X using #GirodItaliaWomen and #UCIWWT, and stay updated with CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto via our social channels.