Elisa Longo Borghini Retains Giro D’italia Women Title As Lippert Wins Final Stage

Elisa Longo Borghini has retained her Giro d’Italia Women title, holding connected to nan pinkish jersey she claimed connected Saturday’s queen shape arsenic nan title concluded astatine Imola.

Longo Borghini (Team UAE ADQ) sealed her 2nd triumph astatine her location Grand Tour, aft losing conscionable 4 prize seconds to Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser (Movistar) connected nan last stage, winning nan title by 18 seconds overall.

Germany’s Liane Lippert, besides from nan Movistar stable, won nan race’s eighth and last shape pinch a precocious break alongside Anna van der Breggen (Team SD-Worx). The brace collapsed distant successful nan last kilometres wrong nan Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, pinch Lippert crossing nan decorativeness statement first.

Reusser and Longo Borghini came location successful nan chasing group, 8 seconds behind, pinch nan Swiss rider claiming a four-second prize for finishing third. It was not capable to triumph backmost nan maglia rosa, which Longo Borghini had taken from Reusser pinch a bold onslaught to nan acme decorativeness astatine Monte Nerone connected Saturday.

“Right now, I’m honestly without words,” Longo Borghini said afterwards, having won nan wide title without claiming a shape win. “This Giro has been intense, emotional, unforgettable. I knew I had to excavation heavy and conflict until nan very end.”

Liane Lippert wins shape 8 connected nan tarmac astatine nan Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Photograph: Luc Claessen/Getty Images

“My teammates were phenomenal, and this maglia rosa is for them,” nan 33-year-old added. “We worked truthful hard, and to triumph for illustration this, defending nan jersey connected specified an iconic circuit, it’s conscionable incredible. Cycling is simply a rollercoaster … moments for illustration this make each nan sacrifices worthy it.”

For Lippert, a 2nd shape triumph of nan week was a bully consolation aft failing to present wide glory for Movistar teammate Reusser. “We mislaid nan maglia rosa but we promised each different to conflict to nan very end,” nan 27-year-old said. “Today, Marlen worked for maine and I wanted to springiness her a logic to smile. I knew I had to travel [Anna] Van der Breggen and nan cleanable script played retired for us.”

Australia’s Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal), who won shape seven, vanished 3rd wide and claimed nan bluish jersey for nan champion upland rider, having besides prevailed connected shape four. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceunick) and Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto) vanished 4th and 5th overall.