Giro dell’Appennino Donne: Silvia Persico beats Lucinda Brand to take first win of season

Célia Gery (FDJ United-SUEZ), Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) and Viktória Chladoňová (Visma-Lease a Bike) rolled across the line in fourth to sixth from the breakaway group.

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Persico and Gery created the break of the day with 20km to go, Persico allowing the Visma and Lidl-Trek riders to do much of the work once they joined.

Seven WorldTour teams were among the field of 25 teams lining up for the 111km one-day Italian Classic that started in Novi Ligure and snaked its way to the coast and Genova.

The opening 70km presented few enticements or challenging terrain for riders to slip away from the peloton. Once on the Passo dei Giovi (2.2km at 4.7%), Anneke Dijkstra (VolkerWessels Cycling) made a move to win the first of two mountain points available and created separation from the field with Top Girls Fassa Bortolo duo Sara Luccon and Marta Pavesi.

Across the next 5km, the trio gained a full minute on the peloton. Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco) then struck out with a solo attack to try to bridge to the front, followed on the approach to the second climb, Livellato, by riders from the WorldTour squads.

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The second climb was double the length of Giovi at 5.3km at an average of 3.6%, giving enough real estate for the complexion at the front of the race to change dramatically, with a group of 11 now in charge once on a false flat, with 22km remaining.

On a final rise before the 20km, Persico accelerated with Gery to move away from the group. Giving chase were Trinca Colonel, Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal), Laura Dickson (FDJ United-SUEZ) and a trio from Visma-Lease a Bike – Femke De Vries, Maud Oudeman, and Sarah Van Dam.

Close behind was a second group of Marion Bunel and Viktória Chladoňová from Visma-Lease a Bike, Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek).

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Brand joined the lead duo of Persico and Gery once off the Livellato descent, pushing the gap to 36 seconds with 15km to go.

But the trio were just the bait that another three riders needed, and across the next 5km Fisher-Black joined her teammate Brand, along with the Visma duo Van Dam and Chladoňová, for six riders at the front. Trinca Colonel used a solo effort to try to make the catch, but had 25 seconds to close, and other chasers just 10 seconds behind her.

Once on the city streets of Genoa, Fisher-Black and Chladoňová took long pulls at the front, with Brand and Van Dam tucked in the back of the group. No one seemed to admire the palm trees and giant ship over their right shoulders as the run-in approached.

After a roundabout, the final 200-metre sign was the signal for Persico to take the advantage away from the two-rider teams, and she held off Brand and Van Dam for the victory.