ANTONIA AND JUSTYNA START THE GIRO D'ITALIA 1-2 IN THE WHITE JERSEY COMPETITION

Antonia Niedermaier slipped into a familiar jersey on the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia today in Bergamo. The CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto rider finished fourteenth in the 14.2 km-long individual time trial to don the white jersey as the leader of the Best Young Rider classification. It’s Antonia’s third start at the Giro d’Italia, and after today, she’s worn the white jersey in all three editions, testament to her consistency and strength. Antonia finished 48 seconds behind leader Marlen Reusser (MOV) in the short, flat course in the centre of Bergamo.

It was a strong performance by the team’s youngsters, with Justyna Czapla finishing a further 16 seconds behind and sitting second in the classification. The duo are fresh from winning the elite and U23 national champion titles in Germany and continued to build on their impressive time trial palmares.

Antonia said, “I’m happy about the stage. It was not the most perfect TT course for me, being so flat and short, but it was an okay performance. I felt like I could really only push on the drags, and the flat parts were more of a challenge.”

Though she’s happy to be leading the Best Young Rider classification, Antonia made sure to point out the team’s bigger goal. She added, “The white jersey is a bonus, but we’re aiming for the overall GC. So, we will keep our focus on that for now.”

Justyna said, “It was quite difficult to pace it. It was full gas from start to finish. I enjoyed the technical sections at the end. I had a lot of good guidance from Gosia (Jazinska) in the car. I knew the corners, and I think there were not many areas I could improve on for that part of the course. I’m happy for stage one!“

HOW TO FOLLOW

Stage 2 | Monday, July 7 | Clusone  – Aprica | 92km | 1542m elevation | Start: 11:40 – Fastest finish: 14:22 CET.

Stage 3 | Tuesday, July 8 | Vezza d’Oglio – Trento | 122.6km | 1228m elevation | Start: 11:20 – Fastest finish: 14:20 CET.

Stage 4 | Wednesday, July 9 | Castello Tesino – Pianezze (Valdobbiadene) | 142.5km | 2773m elevation | Start: 10:15 – Fastest finish: 14:18 CET.

Stage 5 | Thursday, July 10 | Mirano – Monselice | 119.7km  | 291m elevation | Start: 11:40 – Fastest finish: 14:21 CET.

Stage 6 | Friday, July 11 | Bellaria-Igea Marina – Terre Roveresche (Orciano di Pesaro) | 145.1km  | 2436m elevation | Start: 10:25 – Fastest finish: 14:18 CET.

Stage 7 | Saturday, July 12 | Fermignano – Monto Nerone | 149.8km  | 3610m elevation | Start: 9:50 – Fastest finish: 14:10 CET.

Stage 8 | Sunday, July 13 | Forlì – Imola (Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari) | 133.8km  | 2417m elevation | Start: 10:40 – Fastest finish: 14:15 CET.

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.