12th Giro d'Italia Femminile - 2.9.1

Italy, July 1-15, 2001

Stage 11 - July 13: Paularo - Paularo, 89.5 km

Exciting finish at Paularo: Brandli wins

An emotional day in the Fruili town of Paularo, the base for the start and finish of the 11th stage of the Giro d'Italia Femminile. Before the start of the stage Rosalisa La Pomarda - who was third overall and best placed Italian rider, was stopped from starting the stage after UCI blood tests showed she was unfit to race. The other 35 riders tested were all within the limits.

The stage finished with yet another head to head battle between the two leaders of the overall classification and a second win for Swiss rider Nicole Brandli. The Edilsavino rider took advantage of mechanical problems which stopped race leader Zinaida Stahurskaia just 500m from the line.

"I managed to catch Stahurskaia with a kilometre to go," Brandli said. "Then with 500m to go she had a problem with her bike and so I opened a gap and won my second consecutive stage."

Stahurskaia crossed the line 38 seconds after Brandli. She was beaten by Joane Somarriba and Fabiana Luperini and burst into tears at the finish, thinking she had lost the pink jersey. Fortunately the news from the race judges that she would be given the same time as Brandli cheered her up. Infact, the rules state that whoever is the victim of a mechanical problem or crash in the final kilometre, is given the same time as the the group of riders she was with.

"Fortunately I've still got the pink jersey," she said. "When I crossed the line I thought I'd lost it but my lead on Brandli stays the same. Now it's clear, we'll going to fight it out for the Giro in the final time trial."

The stage was saw numerous attacks and came alive after the last KOM of the day, 8km from the finish. After a group of attackers were caught, Stahurskaia tried to go clear on the descent to the finish. however she was caught by Brandli with a kilometre to go.

Now the Giro moves to Vittorio Veneto for a short stage of 108km (start at 12:30). For the two contenders the main aim tomorrow will be to save energy ready for the final time trial on Sunday at Valdobbiadene

Results

1 Nicole Brandli (Swi) Edilsavino Anusca                         2.32.35 (34.407 km/h)
2 Joanne Somarriba (Spa) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                0.38
3 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team
4 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca
5 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.               0.47
6 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie       1.02
7 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie
8 Olga Zabrlinskaja (Rus) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team             1.16
9 Marcia Eicher (Swi) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team
10 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team
11 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.
12 Svetlana Boubnenkova (Rus) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                 1.31
13 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team        1.38
14 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team                      2.07
15 Gunn Rita Dhale (Nor) Team Sponsor Service Norvegia              2.13
16 Simona Parente (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                       2.37
17 Priska Doppmann (Swi) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie      2.52
18 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) Gas Sport Team                            3.24
19 Tetyana Andrusmchenko (Ukr) Ciegi Professional Cycling Team      3.31
20 Fatima Blazquez Lozano (Spa) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox      3.33
21 Mari Holden (USA) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                    3.47
22 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie      3.53
23 Jorunn Kvalo (Fin) Team Sponsor Service Norvegia
24 Valentina Karpenko (Ukr) Ciegi Professional Cycling Team         4.07
25 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) G.S. Team Aliverti

General classification after stage 11

1 Stahurskaia Zinaida (Blr) Gas Sport Team                      35.39.06 (36.389 km/h)
2 Nicole Brandli (Swi) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                        0.20
3 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                      5.10
4 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team                       5.11
5 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.               5.46
6 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie         6.07
7 Joanne Somarriba (Spa) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                7.32
8 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team            10.16
9 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie      11.49
10 Simona Parente (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                      13.07
11 Olga Zabrlinskaja (Rus) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team           13.27
12 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team       13.56
13 Mari Holden (USA) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                   22.16
14 Marcia Eicher (Swi) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team               24.40
15 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) G.S. Team Aliverti                     27.21
16 Priska Doppmann (Swi) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie     29.34
17 Tetyana Andrusmchenko (Ukr) Ciegi Professional Cycling Team     30.22
18 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.             32.16
19 Valentina Karpenko (Ukr) Ciegi Professional Cycling Team        34.47
20 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) Gas Sport Team                           35.21
21 Daniela Veronesi (Ita) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.              35.52
22 Fatima Blazquez Lozano (Spa) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox     36.00
23 Gunn Rita Dhale (Nor) Team Sponsor Service Norvegia             38.54
24 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie      41.37
25 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie     44.08