Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) triumphed from an elite breakaway on the final stage of the 2021 Giro Rosa, a hilly 113-kilometre stage between Capriva del Friuli and Cormòns.
Rivera claimed a tight victory over Deignan in the sprint to the line after a strong quartet including race leader Anna van der Breggen (SD-Worx) stayed clear of the peloton after an early attack. Rivera launched her final sprint in a head-to-head battle with the former world champion and had just enough speed to win the day.
“My dad was watching me from above, and that was for my dad. Also, it is my fiancé’s birthday today, and I am not home, so this is for my two guys. I feel really strong, I have a lot of motivation, and I had an angel on my shoulder today,” Rivera said after the stage.
Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo) was the first rider to attack to form the move of the day, going on the offensive in defence of her mountain classification lead. She made her move on the Sovenza climb to take maximum points, and in the descent, a front group of five formed off the front of the peloton, with van der Breggen, Deignan, Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM), and Rivera joining Brand.
In the peloton, the chase was led by Movistar Team for sprinter Emma Norsgaard and Liv Racing, while in the breakaway, van der Breggen wasn't looking to take advantage of the situation, and just sat on the front group to protect her overall spot. Their advantage fluctuated, peaking at just over two minutes halfway over the chasing main bunch.
As the race approached the finish, Brand pulled some long turns to help the move with her teammate Deignan stay free from the chasers. She was dropped on the final climb when Rivera increased the pace. Deignan skipped turns on the front in the approach to the final sprint, leaving only Rivera and Chabbey to do the work before rejoining the pace-making in the final three kilometres when it looked like the peloton might close the gap.
On the finishing straight, Rivera and Deignan went off in a drag race to the line, Chabbey not a noted sprinter and Van der Breggen not contesting the final dash to the line in a sporting show. It went all the way to the line, and Rivera’s bike throw was just enough to make the difference as she claimed her first Giro Donne stage victory. Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) brought home the peloton 23 seconds later for fifth.
Van der Breggen won the overall standings by a minute and 43 seconds from teammate Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, with SD-Worx claiming a podium sweep with Demi Vollering third overall, three minutes behind van der Breggen.
Van der Breggen also won the points classification while her teammate Niamh Fisher-Black finished as the best young rider, ninth on the general classification. Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo) won the mountain jersey after attacking on the final stage to secure the classification. Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) wins the blue jersey as the best Italian rider, finishing sixth on the general classification.
The final highlights show for the Giro d'Italia Donne will be shown at 4pm on SBS, or anytime on SBS OnDemand, the link to the extended highlights below.
