Femke Gerritse sprints to third place in stage three of the Giro, Anna van der Breggen takes mountain jersey

Stage three was a special one for Elena Cecchini, who rode on her home roads in her final Giro d’Italia. The Italian tried to get into the breakaway, but it was her teammate Guarischi who made it when a group went clear. On the final climb, 20 kilometers from the finish, the general classification riders accelerated, with Anna van der Breggen cresting the climb first and taking the mountain jersey. When everything came back together, Femke Gerritse was able to sprint and finished third. “With better positioning before the final corner, there might have been more possible,” said Gerritse.

Femke Gerritse: “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such good legs”

Femke Gerritse: “I’m happy with the result. When the front riders attacked on the final climb, I was in the group with Elisa Balsamo. Everything came back together and I knew I had to stay with Balsamo. The team positioned me well in the final kilometers. I knew I had to be on her wheel in the last corner, but suddenly I ended up in front of her.”

“After the corner, she passed me with a lot of speed. If I had been on her wheel, there might have been more possible today. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such good legs and could compete for the win in a Grand Tour.”

Gian Paolo Mondini: “We missed the momentum a bit, but third place and the mountain jersey are a good result”

Gian Paolo Mondini: “This was a great opportunity for ‘Gerrie’. She missed some momentum when Balsamo went. Balsamo started her sprint early and came through from behind with speed. Gerritse got a bit stuck when she tried to fight for her wheel. Then third place is still a strong result, but there was perhaps more in it. Anna van der Breggen was where she needed to be today. She was up there with the GC riders. The blue jersey was not the goal today, but it’s always nice to wear such a distinctive jersey.”

Anna van der Breggen: “The next two days will be the first real test for the GC”

Anna van der Breggen: “I felt good. It was quite a tough climb, especially after a relatively long run-in with sprint stages. This was the first real finale where things accelerated and my climbing went well. I took the mountain jersey by accident, as it wasn’t the goal. I wasn’t really focused on it. I see the mountain jersey mainly as a nice opportunity for younger riders to fight for and develop themselves. I’m not going to actively defend it, no. My focus is on the GC.”

“The team positioned me well going into the climb. It was good preparation for tomorrow’s climbing time trial. That will be a tough stage. The climb looks steep. A climb like that in a time trial is always hard to pace. You start and finish flat, and on the climb you have to make sure not to blow up. It will be a very difficult time trial, but I’m looking forward to it. After the time trial there is another tough stage on the program. So the next two days will be an important first test for the general classification.”

Elena Cecchini: “Emotional to ride on my home roads”

Elena Cecchini: “It was an emotional stage for me today. I tried to get into the breakaway. I probably tried 100 times, and Barbara Guarischi got away immediately on her first attempt (laughs). When I passed through my home village San Marco, I rode at the front of the peloton so I could say hello to familiar faces along the road. It was a beautiful day,” Cecchini concludes.