Emma Pooley takes final Giro Rosa stage as Marianne Vos wins overall

Marianne Vos topped off a dominant week for her Rabo-Liv team yesterday, taking her third Giro d’Italia Femminile over all victory in four years. However, it was Britain’s Emma Pooley who won the final stage, her third this year, securing the green mountains jersey in the process.

Rabo-Liv dominated this year’s Giro. Winning six stages, they secured the pink jersey in the prologue and held it to the end. Vos won both the general classification and points competitions and French road and time trial champion, Ferrand-Prevot, finished second winning the white jersey of best young rider. Third on the podium was Anna van der Breggen.

"After last year I wanted to return and top the rankings again,” Vos told the team website. “This year we had a stronger team and the objective was to use the team to win. To get a one-two-three, is of course an incredible result. This was a collective achievement.“

It was Emma Pooley, however, who made the mountains her own, winning all three of the major challenges and the classification by 31 points.

“Taking this green jersey is really great for the team, to be on that final podium,” commented afterwards. “It’s a big honour. I’m very pleased with that. I feel like we earned it after all the hard work. I had such great support of the team, they really believed in me.”

Sunday’s stage started at high pace, the peloton only thinning on the final climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo. With four kilometres to go Pooley, the new British Time Trial Champion, attacked, quickly building a gap which she maintained, crossing the line 25 seconds ahead of the Rabo duo of Ferrand-Prevot and Vos.

“After yesterday I had more confidence on the climb, so I decided to attack,” Pooley commented after the race. “It looked like they were going to catch me on a flat section. But because Mara Abbott was a threat for GC they were more scared of her and didn’t chase me too hard.”

“The last 1.5 kilometre was uphill. I enjoyed that bit because I had about fifty seconds lead. It was definitely not easy, and it was really painful but still it was fun. There were lots of people watching and cheering along the road. This was a perfect location for a mountain-top finish at the end of the Giro Rosa. The Madonna del Ghisallo chapel has a special significance for cyclists.”

Results
Giro d’Italia Femminile 2014, Stage nine

1. Emma Pooley (Lotto-Belisol)

2. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Rabo-Liv)

3. Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv)

4. Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv)

5. Mara Abbott (United Healthcare)

6. Elisa Longo-Borghini (Hitec Products)

7. Claudia Lichtenberg (Giant-Shimano)

8. Annamiek van Vleuten (Rabo-Liv)

9. Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans)

10. Tetyana Riabchenko (SC Michela Fanini Rox)

Final overall classification

1. Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv) 25:12:07

2. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Rabo-Liv) at 0:15

3. Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv) at 1:32

4. Mara Abbott (United Healthcare) at 1:54

5. Elisa Longo-Borghini (Hitec Products) at 2:06

6. Claudia Lichtenberg (Giant-Shimano) at 3:18

7. Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) at 6:59

8. Annaamiek van Vleuten (Rabo-Liv) at 7:16

9. Emma Pooley (Lotto-Belisol) at 8:23

10. Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) at 8:36

Emma Pooley takes second stage win at the Giro Rosa

Emma Pooley all but secures mountain classification; Marianne Vos continues to lead overall

Emma Pooley climbs into mountains lead at Giro Rosa

Marianne Vos wins another stage at the Giro Rosa to maintain overall lead

Emma Pooley takes solo Giro Rosa stage victory

British time trial champion Emma Pooley proves her form with a solid solo win