12th Giro d'Italia Femminile - 2.9.1

Italy, July 1-15, 2001

Stage 13 - July 15: Cornuda - Valdobbiadene ITT, 34.5 km

Zinaida Stahurskaia triumphs at the Giro d'Italia Donne

Ziliute wins the Valdobbiadene time trial

The current world champion Ziniada Stahurskia has won the 12th edition of the Giro d'Italia Femminile which finished today with a spectacular and decisive time trial from Cornuda to Valdobbiadene in the northern Veneto region. Stahurskaia put her name in the roll of honour of the Giro, following that of Spaniard Joane Somarriba who won the Giro for the last two years.

It was a well deserved win for the blonde Bielorussian rider. She led the race from the second stage in Sicily, won three stages and four different jerseys (the pink of overall winner, the purple points jersey, the green climber's jersey and orange best foreign rider jersey). Her success was part of a dominating ride by the Gas Sport team, who also won four stages with sprinter Greta Zocca, for a total of seven stage wins during the Giro.

"I'm really happy," Stashurskaia said climbing on the podium with pink dyed hair and pink outfit. "With five kilometres to go my directeur sportif Marino Amadori and the others in the tea kept shouting that I'd done it. My first thought goes to my daughter. I want to dedicate this win to her but I have to thank my team as well."

Zinaida Stahurskaia was born in Bielorussia on February 9, 1971. She has a 13 year-old daughter called Sveta who also rides a bike and has already won a race. Stahurskaia has lived in Capannoli near Lucca since 1997. She is the current world champion after winning in Plouay last October. She is the strongest rider of her country and has won the Bielorussia national road race title between 1996 and 2000 and the time trial title between 1993 and 2000. She was 7th in the Barcelona Olypmics in 1992 and 12th in Atlanta in 1996. Last year she won the Giro di Toscana and the Giro del Fruili. By winning today she has clearly won the most important race of the 2001 season. It is her 13th win of the year.

The time trial on the roads of the Marca Trevigiana area of Veneto was a nervous finale. The close 20" lead she had on Nicole Brandli meant she had to give it everything. Fortunately the first time checks helped her. She was in the lead at the first check and finished fifth on the stage, 12 seconds faster than Brandli who finished seventh. "Congratulations to Stahurskaia. She deserved to win," was how Brandli graciously accepted defeat. "I'm disappointed but I'm also happy with my second place. I'm still young and I've got time to win big races like the Girodonne."

By winning the time trial, Diana Ziliute completed the Girodonne podium, ahead of former winner Joane Somarriba.

The Giro d'Italia Femminile - organised by the UC Vittorio Veneto with the support of the Veneto region, was an overall success and was well received wherever the race passed even though the police searches and the exclusion of Rosalisa Lapomarda (high haematocrit) have cast a shadow over Italian cycling.

Report courtesy of www.girodonne.com

Results

1 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie             47.27 (43.613 km/h)
2 Joanne Somarriba (Spa) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                0.24
3 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie            0.51
4 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team         1.31
5 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team                          1.38
6 Olga Zabrlinskaja (Rus) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team             1.48
7 Nicole Brandli (Swi) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                        1.50
8 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.               2.09
9 Mari Holden (USA) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                     2.30
10 Sara Carrigan (Aus) Australia National Team                      2.39
11 Julia Martisova (Rus) Carpe Diem Itera                           2.48
12 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie           3.05
13 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team
14 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                     3.06
15 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team            3.10
 
Final general classification
 
1 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team                      39.15.05 (36.707 km/h)
2 Nicole Brandli (Swi) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                        0.32
3 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie              4.29
4 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.               6.17
5 Joanne Somarriba (Spa) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                6.18
6 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                      6.38
7 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team
8 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie           11.02
9 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team            11.48
10 Olga Zabrlinskaja (Rus) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team           13.37
11 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team       13.49
12 Simona Parente (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                      18.08
13 Mari Holden (USA) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                   23.08
14 Marcia Eicher (Swi) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team               26.33
15 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) Team Aliverti                          29.09
16 Priska Doppmann (Swi) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie          31.01
17 Tetyana Andrusmchenko (Ukr) Ciegi Professional Cycling Team     32.54
18 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.             35.37
19 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) Gas Sport Team                           37.28
20 Valentina Karpenko (Ukr) Ciegi Professional Cycling Team        38.53
21 Daniela Veronesi (Ita) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.              40.02
22 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie           42.41
23 Gunn Rita Dhale (Nor) Team Sponsor Service Norvegia             44.13
24 Fatima Blazquez Lozano (Spa) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox     47.09
25 Arenda Grimberg (Ned) Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie          48.42