Brescia warmly welcomed the 153 riders who will compete on the 2024 Giro d’Italia Ladies , which begins on Sunday with a person time trial to set the tone for the battle for the maglia rosa.
Twenty-two groups had been offered on stage on the Piazza della Loggia.
World Champion Lotte Kopecky took to the microphone to reply questions from the organisers for the crowds throughout a question-and-answer session whereas her SD Worx-Protime teammates had been launched on stage.
Cyclingnews has highlighted Kopecky as one of many favourites for the general classification , given her success on the Tour de France Femmes final yr and in shorter phases races this season. Nonetheless, she mentioned that she wish to win a stage and construct her type forward of the Olympic Video games.
“The Giro d’Italia is a ravishing race that has lengthy been a part of the calendar in girls’s biking. My first win within the Giro was an vital second in my profession,” Kopecky mentioned.
“Before everything, I need to come out of the Giro higher than I began it. And to not get sick. By struggling within the eight race days, I hope to take the ultimate step conditionally in direction of Paris 2024.
“It is going to be a sort of powerful coaching block. I haven’t got ambitions for the ultimate classification, however I do have intermediate objectives. I wish to win a stage. That might be very nice.”
The occasion’s house favorite is Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini , who strains up with a robust Lidl-Trek workforce that features the maglia bianca of the 2023 version Gaia Realini, and two former world champions Elisa Balsamo and Lizzie Deignan.
“Now we have every little thing we have to purpose for stage wins and for the final classification. Trying to the course, it’s going to be an fascinating Giro. The opening ITT is, proper from the beginning, a key day for the final classification. There are 4 troublesome phases to comply with, not tremendous exhausting however positively hectic and with difficult finishes the place we will by no means let our guard down. These will probably be good alternatives to attempt to dash with Elisa or, maybe, search glory with a breakaway,” mentioned Lidl-Trek director Ina Teutenberg.
“The final three phases would be the decisive ones for the GC. The queen stage on Saturday, with the double climb to Blockhaus, will probably be crucial day. However the final day should even be held in excessive regard. It is going to be something however a procession. I count on a hard-fought Giro to the final kilometre, and we will probably be able to play all our playing cards.”
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