Another outstanding performance by UAE Team ADQ at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comune di Cittiglio, where Karlijn Swinkels claimed her first-ever UCI Women’s WorldTour victory.
The Dutch rider, now at her second win of the season, perfectly capitalized on the impressive teamwork shown throughout the race. After 146.1 kilometres from Luino to Cittiglio – with the course shortened due to snowfall overnight on one of the planned climbs – Swinkels managed to outpace her breakaway companions in the final sprint.
The Emirati team rode a very controlled and mature race. Early on, Alena Amialiusik, Mavi Garcia and the rest of the team worked to keep the race under control, before Italian national champion Elisa Longo Borghini launched the first significant attacks.
The decisive move came thanks to a well-coordinated attack by Silvia Persico, Eleonora Gasparrini and Karlijn Swinkels, who joined forces with several other riders to open a gap over the peloton.
With numerical superiority on their side, UAE Team ADQ managed the situation perfectly. After the final climb of Orino, only three riders remained at the front: Karlijn Swinkels, Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx – Protime) and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility). The trio worked well together and managed to build a lead of more than 50 seconds over the first chasing group.
The victory was therefore decided between the three breakaway riders, and Karlijn Swinkels played her cards perfectly, using her strong sprint to power her way to a well-deserved win.
After the race, Karlijn Swinkels said: “I’m super happy. This is my first WorldTour victory. My teammates did an amazing job from the start – they believed in me all day, kept me calm and created the perfect scenario with the attack together with Silvia Persico and Eleonora Gasparrini. They pushed really hard on the climb and set up the move for me. In the end we were three riders left and I was a bit nervous because I knew I was the fastest, but I’m really happy and proud to win this race.”
(ph. Getty Sport)
