00:00The Queen stage of this year's Giro d'Italia women had arrived. Stage 8, the penultimate stage, quite short on
00:06paper, 106km, but the first time this race has ever taken on the Colle delle Fenestri.
00:14An absolute beast of a climb, 8km of it, the final 8km of it, gravel, and to that point they
00:21would have already climbed 10km, 18km in total, and the riders knew what they had coming.
00:26This had always been looked upon as the Queen stage. The time trial had set up some of the gaps
00:30we now see where Anna van der Breggen is in the Malia Rosa, wearing a bandage as well from the
00:36crash she'd had the day before.
00:39This climb, for the first time in this race, was set to be the big decider, but I can tell
00:44you there was more drama to come, and it wasn't just the racing.
00:47The flag was dropped, and notably today, an opportunity for general classification riders teams to get advanced satellite riders into
00:56the breakaway, in the hope they might be able to help their GC leaders when they came onto the climb.
01:01Fantastic, by the way, to see the Afghan national champion Fariba Hashimi in there.
01:05She and her sister have a fascinating story about how they turned up in pro cycling.
01:09Great to see her in the breakaway of 16 riders, and they arrived at the Miana di Souza sprint point
01:19for those Malia Rosa points, and it was Silvia Persico taking that from the breakaway, ahead of yesterday's winner, Celia
01:25Geri, and this was the pacing behind, being set by Kristen Faulkner.
01:30This was the moment that all the general classification riders had been waiting for, and our 16 riders in the
01:34breakaway, as they started to work their way in to the 18 kilometres of the Colle della Falestra, were starting
01:41to drop.
01:41This was the group of general classification favourites, and they'd picked up Lauren Dixon, Lauren Dixon, who was doing a
01:47brilliant job.
01:48Then we saw this as well, Marlon Rosa telling Francesca Barale, who'd been in the breakaway, to go with them
01:53because she obviously, by the looks of things, did not have the pace at that point.
01:57She continued, and actually didn't climb too badly, judging by that moment.
02:02There were a number of satellite riders who'd been in the day's breakaway who were emptying themselves to do their
02:08best for their team leaders, but I have to say, Lauren Dixon, the British rider, was an incredible worker for
02:16Damie Vollering, doing everything.
02:17And it was causing problems, and Issa Longo Borghini, again, finding herself having to try and chase back into the
02:23group.
02:24And gradually, just gradually, we were starting to see the sort out to be the same four riders at the
02:29front that we'd had at the close of Stage 5.
02:32Now, as they were tackling the gravel point, we got some important news coming through.
02:37Due to the breakage of a sheet of ice situated 150 metres above the route, and following an assessment by
02:42park experts, the risk of an ice fall was deemed too high,
02:46and consequently, race organisers, in consultation with the public safety authorities and the panel of race officials, decided to move
02:52the finish line to just under one kilometre from the top of the Colle de la Fenestra climb,
02:58where times were recorded, mountains points and finish bonuses, and points for the classifications were awarded.
03:04And this is how it finished, right now.
03:06Femke de Vries was doing her best to try and stay with the leading four, but the leading four were
03:10the same four riders who went to the finish in Santo Stefano di Carore.
03:15Isabella Holgrim was not sitting back and waiting for Anna van der Breggen and Damie Vollering to do their thing.
03:21Vollering had attacked twice herself already, but the four were locked together, and eventually, Anna van der Breggen, the race
03:27leader,
03:27as they rode up into the mist, decided the best way to prevent the attacks was to set the pace
03:32on the front.
03:33Damie Vollering sitting in, Antonia Niedermeyer and Isabella Holgrim, those young riders coming through,
03:39and showing they are in this race more than a match for Anna van der Breggen and Damie Vollering.
03:45That said, though, van der Breggen just kept setting the pace.
03:48They knew now they were coming very, very close to the new finish line just before the top of the
03:54Colle de la Fenestra,
03:54and that was enough to see Damie Vollering open up a little gap, get the 10-second bonus, a tiny
04:01gap really on the others,
04:02and Anna van der Breggen having done the pacing all the way up there in the Malia Rosa, coming across
04:07the line, safe, delighted, I suspect, that it was finished.
04:11And at the high point as well, having reached the Alfacina Strada, the high point of this year's race,
04:18Damie Vollering, the stage winner, her second stage win, and her second stage win ever, it has to be said,
04:24in the Giro d'Italia, women.
04:25She's loving this year's race.
04:27Anna van der Breggen is still in the Malia Rosa,
04:30and Lisa Balsamo enjoying her time in the Malia Rosa.
04:34You're going to have to join us for tomorrow's final stage, because that means tomorrow is going to be absolutely
04:39crucial.
04:43Damie, of course, not the race we expected.
04:46How much was it important to reschedule your plans when you have the communication of this changement?
04:51Yeah, it was a really strange day.
04:54I mean, we heard it only 7km before the top or something,
04:58so the moment we heard it, we directly, like, changed the plan and tried to make a harder pace.
05:07But, of course, it didn't go as we planned.
05:11Of course, I really had in mind to try to give it my all and take one minute back,
05:19but, yeah, that suddenly, instead of 35km to the finish, it's only 6-7km.
05:27Then, yeah, it changed a lot, of course, but it is how it is, that cycling.
05:34You have to deal with nature, you have to deal with everything that's going around.
05:39So, yeah, it's weird.
05:43I still don't know what to think about it.
05:46Of course, I'm happy to win this beautiful stage.
05:50It's a beautiful climb, but on the same time, also a little bit disappointed, of course.
05:56Looking at the GC, it still remains kind of the same.
06:00So, tomorrow will be the day, and, of course, the plan changed.
06:05Yeah, I think tomorrow is not really a day where you can take a minute back, I think.
06:09So, it's unfortunate, but it is how it is.
06:15Looking at the final kilometers, Anna was the one on the top of their small group.
06:22Do you think she spent more energy than you, and maybe this could help you tomorrow?
06:28No, I mean, on a climb like that, you don't really have drag.
06:32So, the one who is in front doesn't change too much.
06:36So, I don't think that will change a lot.
06:38Thank you.
06:40Grazie.
06:41Anna, of course, today things didn't go as planned.
06:45How important was to, you know, risk a lot of everything when you had the communication?
06:51Yeah, it was a strange situation, actually, because you prepared the stage how it was.
06:57But, yeah, I mean, then you need to adapt to the situation.
07:02I think nobody can help it.
07:03So, it is how it is.
07:05And then it was suddenly the last climb.
07:08So, it's strange.
07:09But then, yeah, it's changing how you ride and how you pace.
07:14But it is how it is.
07:16We have seen you setting the pace in the last kilometers.
07:20Do you expect maybe any kind of attack of Demi before that one that happened?
07:26Yeah, Demi did one attack before.
07:29And then after, I expected also more, actually.
07:32But, yeah, I mean, at that point, I just, if I do a good pace, then, yeah, maybe to avoid
07:41attacks.
07:41And they did not come, so it was good for me, I think.
07:45And I was a bit looking, I think, like everybody, like, where is the finish line?
07:50I expected it a bit before, but, yeah, then, in the end, podium or for it, it doesn't matter so
07:58much.
07:59It's the bonification seconds, of course.
08:02But, no, I think a good day, good, yeah, good, yeah, good day and good fight also on this climb.
08:13And it was a hard climb, so it was nice to do it.
08:17Only one stage left, the GC is, you know, the same most of the time.
08:22What could be the plan in your mind of Demi tomorrow?
08:26Try to reduce this, you know, important gap looking at now, the classification.
08:31Yeah, I think, of course, she needs to try and not only Demi, I think also the other riders need
08:37to try.
08:38So we have another time, a really hard climb.
08:42But, yeah, if you look to today, yeah, I think tomorrow can be worked out a bit the same,
08:49only there is a long way to go after this hard climb.
08:52So, I mean, I just need to hold on and try to keep up what I'm doing at this point
08:58and, yeah, doing my best to keep the jersey.
09:02How were the legs?
09:04Legs were good today, actually.
09:06I was happy with it, not too stiff, to be honest.
09:10So, it was good and hopefully, yeah, tomorrow we need some recovery, but everybody does.
09:16So, yeah.
09:16Thank you.
09:17Thank you.
09:19Elisa, so today things didn't go as planned.
09:21How much was important to, you know, change your plan, your schedule in order to face this different stage?
09:28Yes, it was a really weird day, honestly, and on the climb, then we were also a bit confused because
09:35we couldn't understand what was going on.
09:38But, yes, I think, I don't know, it's also difficult to describe and I'm also a little bit sad that
09:45we couldn't arrive till Sestriere because, yes, it was a really important stage for everyone.
09:51And then, yes, as a team, we really try to manage as well as possible and I think we did
09:56a good job at the end.
09:58Looking at tomorrow, the last stage, of course, the goal still remains to keep that Maglia Rossa without, you know,
10:07climb because you haven't faced the climb of Sestriere.
10:09So, maybe legs will be a little bit well.
10:11Yes, I mean, I'm quite sure tomorrow is going to be really hard because today without the last climb, maybe
10:18GC is still quite close.
10:21And so, I really expect a hard day tomorrow, but I'm also happy because I'm really close to my house.
10:29so, I know there will be a lot of people cheering for me.
10:33We have seen also Isabella Holmgren give everything on the climb.
10:38Tomorrow will be important, you know, also that maybe keep his place in the GC.
10:43Yes, for sure, we will fight.
10:44I mean, I think tomorrow a lot can happen and we will help her and also Nif and we are
10:51in a really good position in GC
10:53and we will try to have a good plan for tomorrow.
10:57Good luck, thank you.
10:58Grazie.
10:59Isabella, first of all, today things didn't go as planned.
11:02What happened, you know, in the last kilometers when you know you have to completely change maybe the plan in
11:08order to face Colle delle Finestre?
11:10Yeah, once we knew that the race was going to finish just before the end of Finestre, then of course
11:15I knew I had to give everything I could before that finish line.
11:19So, yeah, I don't think it changed too much the race, but yeah, I knew that I had to be
11:25empty by the time I got to the new finish line.
11:27We have seen you in such a great shape also in Colle delle Finestre.
11:31Are you happy with that, you know, important climb in the first part of the group?
11:36Yeah, I think it was a super tough climb and I wasn't necessarily feeling amazing at the bottom, so I
11:42was really happy that I was able to follow till the end.
11:46But, yeah, super close in the end, so it's a bit frustrating, but I'm happy with it.
11:50Looking at tomorrow, it will be important, you know, to fight for the GC after this kind of strange stage.
11:56How much will it be important to face tomorrow, the last stage, in the right way to keep that important
12:01place you have in the GC?
12:02Yeah, I think we have to be aggressive and really watch because there's a lot of teams that are going
12:06to, yeah, do everything they can to move up in the GC.
12:10And it's an interesting stage with the climbs a bit earlier rather than closer to the finish, so, yeah, we'll
12:15see how it goes.
12:16How are the legs?
12:18We'll see tomorrow.
12:20Thank you.
12:21Thank you.
12:22Grazie.
12:26Grazie.
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