07.07.2025 World-Tour, News, Race news

SORAYA CONQUERS BRUTAL CLIMB & STRIKES OUT FOR A GIRO STAGE PODIUM

Soraya Paladin delivered a stellar performance on stage two of Giro d’Italia Women, winning the bunch sprint for third after a daring breakaway claimed the stage spoils.

The 92km day unfolded in northern Italy’s spectacular yet mountainous Lombardy region, taking the peloton from Clusone (647m altitude) down to 208m at Lake Iseo by the 13km mark. From there, riders charged along a flat valley floor for 25km before beginning a long, mostly uphill run to the ski town of Aprica, perched at 1180m.

From the gun, the bunch was fresh, motivated, and under pressure – strung out as teams pushed the pace and tried to ignite moves. The action settled somewhat when Miermont (WNT) and Henderson (LTK) broke clear – a move that, in hindsight, proved the day’s most decisive. Another race-defining moment came with just under 13km to go – 2.7km at 7.4% set the tone for a draining final 13km, which averaged 3.8%. The most punishing section hit 11.8% over 1km, with ramps in excess of 15%. A switch from the main valley road to its narrower predecessor created an intense, fierce lead-in to the base.

On the climb itself, the pace was high but steady. AG Insurance-Soudal set the tempo toward the summit, but Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Antonia Niedermaier (in the youth leaders jersey, the Maglia Bianca), and Soraya formed a strong CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto presence in what was now a heavily reduced group of around 15 riders.

With the steep wall behind them, Soraya, Cecilie and Antonia waited in the wings as the group attempted to close the gap to the breakaway duo. At 3.2km to go, the deficit was 35 seconds.

Ultimately, the leaders weren’t caught, holding on to win by 26 secs. Behind, Soraya launched her sprint for the final podium spot with 200m to go – just as the climb flattened and the Aprica town sign came into view. It was a sprint of supremacy. No one could come around her, and she proved to be the fastest in a group many other sprinters hadn’t survived to contest.

Soraya shared her perspective on how the Giro’s opening road stage unfolded for her and the team:

“It was a really fast and hectic but Justyna, Tiff, Alice, and Chiara were protecting us really well. Justyna was amazing, covering all the breakaways, and it was the best because Cille, Toni and I could arrive to the bottom of the steep part quite fresh. For me, it was quite hard to hang on and when I saw Lotte [Kopecky] and Marianne [Vos] dropping, I was thinking that maybe I can drop with them and then come back, but I did good to keep going and to fight it out until the end. Then in the last kilometres, Cille came to me and brought me to the front.”

“I did quite a long sprint and I’m happy for the result, but also sad because there were two riders in front. But yeah, we did a really good race as a team.”

This result marks Soraya’s fourth podium at the Giro d’Italia Women through the years, arriving in similar fashion to her second-place finish in 2024 – again off the back of superb form and a strong final kick in a reduced group. On that occasion too, she outsprinted several big names, including now-teammate Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, but couldn’t quite catch a lone leader up the road.

“I feel that I’m always just missing out on this victory because someone is always ahead when I have good legs and opportunity, but yeah, this doesn’t stop me to chase, to try and for sure we have a lot of opportunity ahead and we will try our best.”

There’s a slight tinge of “what if” in her words, but the result still carries weight – especially with the team’s general classification ambitions in mind. Soraya’s exceptional ride to stay with the GC group was no small feat, and the circumstances made the final outcome easier to accept.

“Maybe I should have made the call to close the gap, but I didn’t expect to have such good legs. I know also that Cille and Antonia have their focus on the GC and the main goal is that one. So you never know in that situation, but it’s a podium and we showed that we have a strong team with good legs, so we can have fun.”

Meanwhile, Antonia finished safely inside the lead group to maintain her 27-second advantage over Holmgreen (LTK) and Chladoňová (TVL) in the youth classification, keeping her in the white Maglia Bianca. She also jumped six spots in the GC to 8th overall, sitting +1:03 behind stage winner Henderson (LTK), but only seven seconds off 5th place.

“I think for us as a team it was a good stage. Soraya finished in third – I’m very proud of her and her sprint, and I’m really happy to see her in the top positions. It was a nice race!”

Stage three brings a dramatic change in rhythm – a course of two extremes. The riders will face the Giro’s highest climb, the Passo del Tonale (8.4km at 8.2%), unusually early, with the ascent beginning just 5km into the stage. Ironically, despite the early high-altitude test and the battle for the Cima Alfonsina Strada – awarded to the first rider over the summit – the day could still favour the sprinters. If they can survive the climb or stay within striking distance, a long descent and flat run into Trento should bring them back into contention.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live coverage available from 12:50 CET each day via Eurosport, Discovery Plus, TNT Sports, FloBikes and RAI. Stay updated on X with #GirodItaliaWomen and #UCIWWT, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s social channels for the latest team updates.

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