Coryn Rivera wins the final stage of Giro Donne while Anna van der Breggen takes her fourth title

Coryn Rivera won a two woman sprint to take the final stage of the Giro Donne on Sunday. The American reacted to an early sprint from Lizzie Deignan, catching the Brit on the line to take DSM’s third stage of the race.

Former Swiss champion Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) was third, just ahead of Anna van der Breggen who won her fourth Giro Donne general classification in the year she retires from competition.

The four women were what remained of a five rider group which had formed early on during the 113km stage in Italy’s far north-east. They worked well together all day, Deignan’s Trek-Segafredo team mate Lucinda Brand dropping back after securing the mountains classification.

With Brand gone her compatriot Van der Breggen sat on, while Chabbey and especially Rivera did much of the work to hold off a reduced bunch. Deignan launched early, around 500m out, and it seemed as though she would hold on, but Rivera crossed the line around 10cm ahead.

After finishing second in the opening stage team time trial, Van der Breggen and her SDWorx team have dominated the 10 days. The Dutchwoman took the race lead with a virtuoso performance on the second stage mountain top finish at Prato Nevoso, and with team mates Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio finishing second and Demi Vollering third the final GC was set.

Indeed, as if to drive their superiority home, the same three women took the three top spots on Saturday’s other mountain top finishing at Monte Matajur. 

As for Deignan she was thrown into the GC battle after Trek-Segafredo team-mate, Elisa Longo Borghini had a disastrous day at Prato Nevoso, the team switching strategy to support the Brit and take her to her best Giro result.

How it happened

Nothing is easy at the Giro Donne and Sunday’s final stage certainly wasn’t. Only 113km, the route between Capriva del Friuli and Cormòns contained four classified climbs the first and the toughest coming only 14km into the day.

Taking on a large loop with two climbs, the race covered two smaller ones, each of 36km and each with other classified climbs, the route invited attacking racing.

And the attacking began early, first with Erica Magnaldi (Ceratizit-WNT) trying to reclaim her best Italian rider’s maglia azzura, but when she was caught a group of overall favourites went away on the day’s second climb.

Overall leader Anna van der Breggen (SDWorx) was joined by Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM), Coryn Rivera (DSM) and the Trek-Segafredo pair of Lizzie Deignan, who began the day fourth overall, and Lucinda Brand who led the queen of the mountains competition.

This group soon had a lead of one minute, Brand taking maximum points on the second climb as a group of 10 more riders closed in on the leaders, with the peloton still 60 seconds back. Those 10 chasers did not make the catch however, the leaders extending their lead to more than two minutes with less than 50km to go.

Just a few kilometres later on the ascent to the third climb of the day, the gap had shrunk to less than a minute, and it seemed they would be caught.

However, he leaders seemed undecided on whether they wanted to take the day, and despite Van der Breggen not working, their gap began to head upwards once again, while only three teams pulled at the head of a reduced peloton.

Even when Brand was dropped the final time up the climb at Ruttars and Liv Racing’s Sofia Bertizzolo attacked the peloton, the gap stubbornly remained more that 50 seconds, Rivera doing huge turns when they were most under threat.

However, when SDWorx came to the front of the peloton disrupting the chase it was certain the leaders would take the day.

After the Giro was relegated from the WorldTour last year, reports on the ground suggest organisation is improved and “less chaotic.” However, the TV coverage has often lacked, with only the final few kilometres available, and 4G issues meaning there were no live pictures from Saturday’s queen stage.

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The race is currently on the 2022 WorldTour calendar, and with UCI President David Lappartient’s brother Jerôme the president of the race commissaires the UCI are bound to have an accurate report on the Giro’s improvements.

Giro d’Italia Donne, stage 10: Capriva del Friuli - Cormòns (113km)

1. Coryn Rivera (USA) DSM in 2-56-40
2. Lizzie Deignan (Gbr) Trek-Segafredo at same time 
3. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon-SRAM at 03 sec
4. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) SDWorx at same tie 
5. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar at 23 sec
6. Liane Lippert (Ger) DSM 
7. Ilaria Sanguinetti (Ita) Valcar Travel and Service
8. Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
10. Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM all at same time 

Final general classification

1. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) SDWorx in 27-00-55
2. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) SDWorx at 1-43
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SDWorx at 3-25
4. Lizzie Deignan (Gbr) Trek-Segafredo at 6-39
5. Mavi Garcia (Esp) Alé-BTC Ljubljana at 8-26
6. Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope at 8-29
7. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 8-40
8. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Alé-BTC Ljubljana at 9-12
9. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) SDWorx at 9-44
10. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon-SRAM at 10-42