General News
11 September, 2020
Grand Tour event awaits Grace Brown
CAMPERDOWN export Grace Brown is preparing for her second appearance in women’s cycling prestigious stage race, the Giro d’Italia Femminile (Giro Rosa).
CAMPERDOWN export Grace Brown is preparing for her second appearance in women’s cycling prestigious stage race, the Giro d’Italia Femminile (Giro Rosa).
Brown will once again represent Mitchelton-Scott at the Grand Tour event which is set to start today.
She joins two-time defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten and Australian champion Amanda Spratt, Lucy Kennedy, Sarah Roy and Moniek Tenniglo in the Mitchelton-SCOTT team aiming to make it a hat-trick of Giro Rosa wins.
Brown is expected to give the team flexibility across the nine day event, which starts with a team time trial.
World and European champion Van Vleuten, who is looking to continue a stunning season which has seen her record six wins from nine race starts, was thrilled with the team put together for the Giro Rosa.
“We have good quality on the hills with Amanda Spratt and Lucy Kennedy, and also power on the flat with Moniek, Roy and also Grace Brown who can do both, so I think we have a really good team,” she said.
“The course isn’t as hard as it was last year, there aren’t as many long summit finishes, but still there are a lot of mountain finishes.
“There aren’t a lot of flat days, so it will be hard and exhausting, I think already after the team time trial on the first day we have some hard days coming up, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mitchelton-SCOTT sports director Alejandro Gonzalez-Tablas was also pleased with the team assembled.
“The Giro Rosa is one of the main goals for us, we have won it for the last two years and we are looking for a third consecutive win,” he said.
“We bring a good mix of riders to work, either on the flat or on the mountains. In a race like this, the team is what makes the difference and I believe we line up a strong team to support our leaders.
“The race itself is not as hard as other years and one day shorter, but this is the Giro, and I expect aggressive racing and the speed will make it harder.
“We have a few stages with some hard finishes and that’s where we will see the winner of this Giro.”
Giro d’Italia Femminile 2020 – Race Details:
● Friday, September 11: Stage 1, Grosseto – Grosseto, 16 kilometre team time trial
● Saturday, September 12: Stage 2, Paganico – Arcidosso, 124 kilometres
● Sunday, September 13: Stage 3, Santa Fiora – Assisi, 142 kilometres
● Monday, September 14: Stage 4, Assisi – Tivoli, 170 kilometres
● Tuesday, September 15: Stage 5, Terracina – Terracina, 110 kilometres
● Wednesday, September 16: Stage 6, Torre del Greco – Nola, 97 kilometres
● Thursday, September 17: Stage 7, Nola – Maddaloni, 112 kilometres
● Friday, September 18: Stage 8, Castelnuovo della Daunia – San Marco la Catola, 91 kilometres
● Saturday, September 19: Stage 9, Motta Montecorvino – Motta Montecorvino, 109 kilometres.