9th for Martina Fidanza on the Final Stage of the Giro Donne

Italian Sprinter Martina Fidanza takes her first top 10 of the Giro Donne on the final stage in Padova.

After three days in the mountains, the final stage of the Giro Donne was a day for the sprinters. With a crash on the only QoM of the day splitting the peloton, two riders could get away and gain an advantage of just over 1'00 as the now 35-strong Maglia Rosa group tried to keep things under control. Fidanza, Lin Teutenberg, Lara Vieceli, Hanna Nilsson and Marta Lach all made it into the front group, and so were able to keep their focus on the expected bunch sprint finish.

With 5km to go, the catch was made and the sprint teams began to get themselves into position. Teutenberg used her experience to help guide Fidanza through the final kilometres, with Fidanza finishing 9th at the end of a hectic finale.

Fidanza explained "The finish was super fast. Lin helped guide me through the bunch and it was great to be able to learn from her experience. She really helped me stay in the front and after that, I tried to do my best. I am really pleased with a top 10"

CERATIZIT-WNT DS Steven Sergeant was pleased with the result: "We expected a sprinters stage so we put everything in to getting Martina over the climb for the finish. In the finale, the girls executed the plan excellently, keeping Martina in a good position. After her crash earlier in the year she's getting a feeling for riding these fast sprints again and so I think 9th is a good result. Overall I think we had a successful Giro, with three top 10 finishes and two stages in the Mountains jersey. It was great to get on the podium and show our colours."