Anna van der Breggen colors Trofeo Alfredo Binda & finishes second

Anna van der Breggen put in a rock-solid performance at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. The 35-year-old Dutch rider was consistently at the front of the pack. When Eleonora Gasparinni accelerated with 20 kilometres to go, Van der Breggen closed the gap on the descent. A group of six then broke away. When it became clear that the peloton, including Blanka Vas and Lotte Kopecky, would not catch up, Van der Breggen tried to shake off her fellow escapees. The versatile Karlijn Swinkels could not be shaken off, after which Swinkels lived up to her role as favourite in the sprint. A strong Van der Breggen finished second. “Given the situation, this was the best we could achieve,” said Van der Breggen.

Anna van der Breggen: ‘After about ninety kilometres, there was a major crash at the front, in which unfortunately three of our riders were involved. That was a shame, because there were a lot of attacks at that moment. I then had to put in quite a lot of effort to ensure nothing broke away without one of us. Eventually, Blanka Vas managed to rejoin the group thanks to the help of Lotte Kopecky.’

‘On the descent, a small group broke away and I found myself with three riders from UAE Team ADQ. It wasn’t really my intention to stay away with that group, as the final sprint of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda suits Blanka Vas very well. But behind us, not much was happening in the peloton. So we stayed at the front.’

"It was a tough finish and everyone was on their last legs. At the top of the final climb, I hadn’t managed to shake off Karlijn Swinkels. So I knew it would be difficult to win. Swinkels is good on the descents and sprints fast too. She’s simply a versatile rider. At no point did I feel I could shake her off. She was alert and kept a close eye on things. If I’d made a move, she would have closed the gap. So I had no choice but to wait for the sprint."

‘How do I feel after Trofeo Alfredo Binda? Personally, I’m leaving on a positive note. It was a great race. I’m happy with my current form. I now have a block of altitude training to further prepare for the Ardennes classics. My next race is the Brabantse Pijl.’