12th Giro d'Italia Femminile - 2.9.1

Italy, July 1-15, 2001

Stage 4 - July 5: Mileto - Catanzaro, 116 km

Stahurskaia is the queen of the Girodonne

The crowd at the finish in the centre of the hill-top town of Catenzaro saw another powerful display of racing from the Gas Sport Team, with Bielorussian rider Zinaida Stahurskaia winning her second stage of the Giro. Stahurskaia who is also the race leader, showed her strength, first by chasing the attacks in the final kilometres by Diana Ziluite and Fabiana Luperini, and then by winning the uphill sprint.

The stage was quiet until the final ten kilometres, when the race favourites began to race hard. The last climb was always going to shake up the overall standings, and by winning the stage Stahurskaia showed she is currently the strongest rider in the race.

"I ride for the strongest team in the race," Stahurskaia said. "I followed the advice of my directuer sportif Amadori. He'd seen the final climb and told me how to ride it. However I have to thank my team mates as well, they chased every attack, setting me up for the final sprint. Luperini attacked hard near the finish but I went past her without any problem with about 300m to go. I feel really good and my morale is sky high."

The Giro now faces three stages in the Puglia region in the heel of Italy, before the rest day and the transfer north on Monday July 9. Saturday's stage is from Lecce to Selva di Fasano over 109km and then the 135km stage around San Giovanni Rotondo.

Tomorrow's stage is relatively easy and should suit the sprinters. The 103km is flat, starting in Taranto and finishing in Lecce - the capital of the Salento area.

Report courtesy of www.girodonne.com

Results

1 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team                     3.13.48 (36.842 km/h)
2 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) Accadueo Lorena 
3 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) Edilsavino 
4 Nicole Brandli (Swi) Edilsavino                                 0.01
5 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum 
6 Rosalisa Lapomarda (Ita) Rosa dei Venti 
7 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team                     0.02
8 Susanne Ljungskog (Sue) Vlaanderen T Interim 
9 Severine Desbouys (Fra) Gas Sport Team 
10 Joane Somarriba (Spa) Team Alfa Lum Aurora                     0.12

General classification after stage 4

1 Zinaida Stahurskaia (Blr) Gas Sport Team                     14.04.56 (37.068 km/h)
2 Diana Ziliute (Ltu) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie        0.10
3 Fabiana Luperini (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca
4 Nicole Brandli (Swi) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                       0.11
5 Alessandra Cappellotto (Ita) Gas Sport Team                      0.25
6 Edita Pucinskaite (Ltu) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.              0.27
7 Joanne Somarriba (Spa) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.               0.45
8 Rosalisa Lapomarda (Ita) Rosa Dei Venti                          0.45
9 Susanne Ljungskog (Swe) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team        1.07
10 Severina Desbouys (Fra) Gas Sport Team                          1.15
11 Cindy Pieters (Bel) Vlaanderen T. Interim Ladies Team           1.46
12 Mirjam Melchers (Ned) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie     2.45
13 Simona Parente (Ita) G.S.Edilsavino Anusca                      3.29
14 Mari Holden (USA) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.                   3.42
15 Roberta Bonanomi (Ita) Gas Sport Team                           4.58
16 Priska Doppmann (Swi) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie     5.53
17 Olga Zabelinskaja (Rus) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team           6.52
18 Tatiana Stiajkina (Ukr) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.
19 Marcia Eicher (Swi) Carpe Diem Itera Cycling Team
20 Kym Shirley (Aus) A.I.E. Australia National Team
21 Fatima Blazquez Lozano (Spa) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox     7.06
22 Zita Urbonaite (Ltu) G.S. Acca Due O - H.P. Lorena Camicie      7.32
23 Marianna Lorenzoni (Ita) G.S. Team Aliverti                     8.05
24 Daniela Veronesi (Ita) Team Alfa Lum Aurora R.S.M.              8.22
25 Tetian Andrusmchenko (Ukr) Ciegi Professional Cycling          11.21