Anna van der Breggen wins 2017 Giro Rosa

Giro Rosa defending champion Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) won a six-up sprint to climb to the top step of the podium on the final stage of the Italian grand tour. Olympic road champion Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) was amongst the elite selection of six to contest the finish in Torre del Greco, where she was crowned Giro Rosa champion.

Giro Rosa defending champion Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) won a six-up sprint to climb to the top step of the podium on the final stage of the Italian grand tour. Olympic road champion Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) was amongst the elite selection of six to contest the finish in Torre del Greco, where she was crowned Giro Rosa champion. It’s Van der Breggen’s second Giro Rosa title and a second straight overall win for Boels-Dolmans.

The final stage of the Giro Rosa was a circuit race in Torre del Greco. The peloton covered nine laps of 11.1 kilometres before deviating from the original course on lap ten to take in Mount Vesuvio.

Mount Vesuvio set the scene for a natural selection. As the road rose, the bunch thinned until only six remained in front: Van der Breggen, Guarnier, Annemiek van Vleuten and Amanda Spratt (Orica-Scott), Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle-High5) and Kasia Niewiadoma (WM3 Energie). Notably absent was stage eight winner Lucinda Brand (Team Sunweb), who had started the final day of racing in fifth overall.

As Guarnier took the win, Van der Breggen could be seen pumping her fist in the air before she crossed the line. The 27-year-old won the Giro Rosa more than a minute ahead of both Longo Borghini, in second, and Van Vleuten in third.

Following the OVO Energy Women’s Tour in June, Niewiadoma assumed the purple UCI Women’s World Tour jersey from Van der Breggen. On Sunday, it passed back to Van der Breggen.