At the final race of her season — the Veneto Women — Silvia Persico claimed her first victory of the year with a brilliant solo effort in Verona, sealing the win after a flawless team performance.
The race covered 115.9 kilometres from Vicenza to Verona, marking a new event in the women’s Italian calendar. UAE Team ADQ lined up with a strong roster featuring Elisa Longo Borghini, Silvia Persico, Eleonora Gasparrini, Alena Amialiusik, Erica Magnaldi and Sofia Bertizzolo.
After keeping the race under control in the early stages, the UAE Team ADQ riders played a key role in closing the gap to the breakaway. The front group regrouped at the start of the two final laps of the circuit, which included the climb of Le Torricelle in Verona.
The climb made the difference: only five riders remained in contention — three from UAE Team ADQ (Longo Borghini, Persico and Gasparrini), along with Mireia Benito (AG Insurance–Soudal Team) and time trial world champion Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team).
After a series of attacks and counterattacks, Silvia Persico launched a perfectly timed counter move, catching her rivals by surprise. With her teammates marking behind, Persico powered away to take a well-deserved and emotional first road victory of the season, just days after earning a bronze medal at the UCI Gravel World Championships.
It was the perfect way to wrap up a long and successful year for the Italian rider, who has often worked for the team but finished the season with a personal triumph — and on home soil.
Marlen Reusser won the sprint for second place, followed by Eleonora Gasparrini, who finished third, and Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini, who finished fifth.
It also marked a second win of the day for UAE Team ADQ, after Sofie van Rooijen celebrated victory earlier in the morning in China.
Silvia Persico said: “Finally, after what I consider a good season overall, I managed to take the win. I’m really happy, especially after last week’s bronze medal at the Gravel World Championships. I owe a big thank you to my teammates – today they believed in me even more than I did myself. It’s a beautiful way to end the season, and winning in Italy always feels special.”
(ph. Flaviano Ossola)
