00:00Welcome to Flash Highlights of Stage 3 of this year's 37th Giro d'Italia, Women.
00:07From Pippione to Buia, riding out of Veneto, riding northward,
00:12away from the coast, away from the beautiful Italian beaches,
00:16in the direction of Buia in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
00:20And one rider who's won two stages now, in the Maliarosa, Elisa Balsamo.
00:26There they were as they rode out once again in glorious Italian sunshine,
00:30away from the beach, into the hills, into the foothills of the Pre-Alps.
00:34A lumpier stage, definitely. How would Elisa Balsamo fare?
00:39Certainly she was delighting the Italian fans and sprinting so well.
00:43First attack actually came from the wearer of the Queen of the Mountains jersey,
00:47the Malia Azura Eleonora La Bella.
00:50But a group of five would go clear and get to the first intermediate sprint point
00:54for the Malia Rosa in the lead.
00:56It was Cristina Tonetti taking the six-second bonus there.
01:00They were joined shortly afterwards by Barbara Guarici,
01:03normally a lead-out rider for Lorena Vibes, of course.
01:06So six riders out front, including Alison Jackson, Eleonora Theotto,
01:10Njenka Vinovan of Vismalisa Bike, Marta Pavese joining them too.
01:17There were a couple of crashes on this stage.
01:22Still in those nervous moments of this massive Grand Tour,
01:26the riders, so many, desperate to make their mark.
01:29Then we came to the fourth category of Queen of the Mountains sprint,
01:33where it was Alison Jackson, the Canadian champion,
01:36former Paris-Roubaix winner, of course,
01:37taking the three points ahead of Marta Pavese and Cristina Tonetti.
01:41And those three persisted.
01:44The other three were caught eventually by a speeding peloton,
01:47but it was a speeding peloton intent on stirring things up.
01:50Jackson, Pavese and Tonetti were working well together
01:52and hanging on to about 50 seconds of lead out front.
01:55Jackson had obviously targeted this stage
01:57and was looking really good too.
02:02The chase behind, of course, being led by Lidltrek,
02:06the team of Elisa Balsamo.
02:09Well, these three survived to the passage of the finish line in Booyah,
02:13watched on by Jonathan Milan,
02:15fresh from his final stage win in the men's Giro d'Italia,
02:18just yesterday, of course, in Roma.
02:22Well, the gap was coming down.
02:24Lidltrek had done some good pacing.
02:26There was a nasty crash as well for Talita de Jong
02:29and others involved in that one too,
02:31including Chiara Consoni and Lucinda Brand.
02:33Now, as they were caught, the front of the peloton was fascinating.
02:38Movistar leading the chase.
02:40The NSD Works Pro Time getting involved too
02:42because we were coming into the third category climb
02:44that had a 16% section and a really nasty sting in the tail
02:47with just 22k to go.
02:49And look who it teased out.
02:51Damie Vollering, the European road race champion,
02:53attacking, taking with her,
02:55Elisa Longoborgini,
02:57two-time winner of this race on general classification too,
03:00of course, Marlon Rosa and Anna van der Breggen,
03:03the four-time winner.
03:04And look what it had done to the Malia Rosa as well.
03:07Elisa Balsamo distanced but battling behind
03:09to try and stay in touch with the race.
03:11Seemingly the four best climbers,
03:13the four biggest general classification threats,
03:15going clear on the Montenar climb.
03:19Look at Elisa Balsamo as well.
03:21In the Malia Rosa, over the bars,
03:23desperately trying to get back in touch,
03:24and the race would start to come back together.
03:28but what a hit-out we'd seen
03:29from four of the biggest names in the race as well.
03:33Montenar had done its damage,
03:34but now we were focused with 10k to go
03:37on the run into the finish.
03:38Yes, some of the riders had been distanced,
03:40but all the players we expected to be there
03:43were there as they came back into Bouillard.
03:46A late attack as well from Sigrid Haukset
03:50for UNOX Mobility.
03:51And the chase wasn't too obvious either.
03:54It was a great ride by the UNOX rider.
03:56not looking back too often either,
03:58just settling down and getting onto it.
04:00And she came into the final kilometre
04:01with what could well have been a winning lead.
04:04Chase behind was being led again by Movistar,
04:07who were really on it today.
04:11She led into the final few hundred metres as well.
04:14It was a great ride by Haukset.
04:15Could she hang on?
04:16Well, she'd have to hang on in front of this.
04:19The Malia Rosa herself moving up the outside of the barriers.
04:22Late attack there as well from Lily Williams.
04:24Lily Williams, the American for human-powered health.
04:26But look at the coming over the top of her.
04:28Elisa Balsamo bursting forward
04:31off the last rise to the line
04:33and taking the win in Bouillard.
04:35And in doing so,
04:36becoming the first Italian rider
04:38in the Giro d'Italia women
04:41to win three stages in a row.
04:44She is in incredible form.
04:45And of course, with that 10-second bonus,
04:48she extends her lead in the Malia Rosa.
04:51She is in sparkling form in this race.
04:53And the Tifosi are loving it.
04:55There was a stage classification
04:56and the general classification.
04:58Lots of riders moving up today,
05:00but one rider still on top.
05:02She is, of course, the points leader
05:03as the most consistent finisher too.
05:07What a start to this year's Giro d'Italia women
05:11for Elisa Balsamo.
05:12Anna van der Breggen is the new leader
05:14in the Queen of the Mountains classification.
05:16for the Malia Azura.
05:18Celia Geri is back
05:19in the Best Young Riders classification too.
05:22Join us tomorrow for the time trial.
05:23Elisa, congratulations.
05:24It has been harder than yesterday,
05:26but at the end,
05:27you're all still in pink,
05:28and that's the point.
05:29Yes, today was such an hard day in the final.
05:32I still need to recover.
05:35But yes, once again,
05:37my team did an amazing job.
05:39They were pulling the whole day
05:42to close on the breakaway
05:44and then, yes, in the final.
05:47Also, Nif and Bella,
05:49that are our GC leader,
05:50they were helping me.
05:51It was amazing.
05:53And then, yes,
05:54I knew this sprint
05:55because I did the record,
05:56so I was ready.
05:59But I'm also a bit surprised
06:01and I'm super happy.
06:03We have seen your pain,
06:04your sufferings,
06:05especially at the start
06:07of the last climb.
06:08but what there was in your mind?
06:10What gave you the energy
06:12to keep going
06:12and then finish like that?
06:14Yes, my big goal of today
06:16was trying to keep the pink jersey.
06:18And so I was fighting.
06:20I gave it all.
06:22But yes, this climb was
06:23was so hard for me.
06:25But then, yes,
06:27I still knew that it was
06:28a long wait till the end.
06:30So I really tried to fight
06:33to stay not alone,
06:34but with a small group.
06:35And then we came back
06:36and it was then
06:38was everything perfect.
06:39We have seen today
06:40different attacks
06:42from other teams
06:43looking at tomorrow.
06:44TT, everyone want
06:45to go for the pink
06:46to change the GC.
06:48So what's the point
06:49to, you know,
06:51keep that jersey maybe?
06:53Yes, sorry.
06:54I'm laughing a bit
06:54thinking about tomorrow.
06:57But yes,
07:00like, I don't know,
07:00maybe GC leader
07:02wanted to try
07:03their legs today
07:04to be ready for tomorrow
07:06because of course
07:07for them
07:08it's going to be
07:08an important day.
07:10But yes,
07:12from my side
07:12now I just want
07:13to enjoy this jersey
07:14and tomorrow
07:15I will do my best.
07:17Congrats.
07:17Enjoy.
07:18Anna, congratulations.
07:20You know,
07:20when things get serious,
07:22when the Giro gets serious,
07:23we see Anna van der Grae
07:24again on the top of the race.
07:25How are you?
07:26How it was the race?
07:28Yeah, I'm good.
07:30It was a bit like expected.
07:32It was a pretty hard climb
07:33but I mean,
07:35yeah,
07:35for me it was
07:36before long days.
07:38Like,
07:39yeah,
07:40the sprint stages
07:41were long
07:41and quite easy
07:42so it was a long time
07:44before we had
07:45a final like this.
07:47And I mean,
07:48the climb was good.
07:49I took the mountain jersey
07:51but it was not my goal.
07:53It was a small accident.
07:54I did not think about it at all
07:56so because I always say
07:57the mountain jersey
07:58is something nice
07:59for riders to develop
08:00and to fight for
08:01so I will not try to keep it
08:03but now the climb was good
08:06and the team put me
08:07very well in position
08:08and I think
08:10it was small
08:11but a nice start
08:12of the climbs
08:13and tomorrow
08:14is an important day
08:15with the TT.
08:16Yeah,
08:17looking at tomorrow
08:17today was like,
08:19you know,
08:19an important test
08:20for the legs
08:21both for you
08:22and the other athletes
08:23so how are your legs
08:25are you prepared
08:26for today
08:27what do you think
08:28about the TT
08:29we are going to face?
08:30Yeah,
08:31I think it will be
08:32quite difficult TT
08:33because
08:35yeah,
08:35I did not do a raccoon yet
08:37but I know
08:38the climb is steep
08:39and
08:40also from my teammate
08:41Elena Cicchini
08:42she knows the area
08:43and she also said
08:44like, yeah,
08:44it's a hard climb
08:45which is
08:45I must say
08:46in a time trial
08:47always difficult
08:48to pace it well
08:49because you start flat
08:50you finish flat
08:51and then in between
08:52yeah,
08:53you don't need to blow up
08:55but to make it a good
08:57mountain TT
08:58is something special
09:00I would say
09:01so the legs are feeling
09:03quite okay today
09:05so that's nice
09:06to take with me
09:08for tomorrow
09:08but I know
09:09it will be
09:11incredible
09:11difficult time trial
09:13but I'm looking forward
09:14for it
09:14if the Maglia Azzurra
09:16is not your goal
09:17what could be
09:18your goal
09:19in the next day
09:20is looking also
09:20at the performance
09:21you did today
09:22yeah
09:23well it's of course
09:24time trial
09:26is not so difficult
09:26everybody's
09:28everybody's goal
09:29is to go
09:29as fast as possible
09:30so
09:31that's for tomorrow
09:32and then
09:33I mean
09:33we know more
09:34about the general
09:35classification
09:36and the day
09:37after the time trial
09:39is a really hard day
09:40so I think
09:41these two days
09:42are really important
09:42for the classification
09:44and I will
09:45try my best
09:46to make two good days
09:47we'll see
09:48good luck
09:48thank you
09:49thank you
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