The first edition of the Veneto Women smiles on Silvia Persico, who managed to cross the finish line solo in the shadow of Verona's Arena. The Bergamo athlete took advantage of her team's numerical superiority in the final, making her winning move about 1500 meters from the finish. Nothing doing for Marlen Reusser (Movistar), who tried to control all the attacks from the Emirates team but ultimately had to let Persico go, settling for 2nd place after winning the sprint against Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ). In the same group, Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal) finished fourth, and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) fifth.

The race, contested over 116 kilometers, saw Sara Luccon (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) as a long-time protagonist who, at the thirty-eighth kilometer, gained courage, broke away from the group, and remained solo in the lead until about thirty kilometers from the finish when the peloton, already inside the Torricelle circuit, neutralized her action, pushed especially by the women of UAE Team ADQ. Longo Borghini, Gasparrini, and Persico set a strong pace that selected the peloton: initially with the Italian champion and her teammates were also Benito and Zigart (AG Insurance), Reusser (Movistar), Bradbury and Paladin (CANYON), La Porta and Segato (Bepink).

However, the forcing put in place personally by Longo Borghini broke her opponents, and at the second climb of the Torricelle, the Ornavasso champion passed with Reusser and Gasparrini on her wheel. Entering the city, the world time trial champion tried to drop her rivals with one of her accelerations but didn't succeed, then Longo Borghini made the attempt, closely marked by Reusser.

As they say in these cases, "while the two were arguing"... Silvia Persico launched a counterattack, having just slightly dropped back from the tail of the group. She immediately gained the necessary margin to cross the finish line with her arms raised, celebrating her sixth career victory. Reusser and Gasparrini arrived 29" behind, sprinting for the remaining podium spots.

PERSICO'S IMMEDIATE COMMENT "I'm very happy with this victory that comes after a very good year in which I also won the bronze medal in the Gravel World Championship. I thank my teammates, I'm very satisfied, it's always nice to win at home," said the Bergamo native.

To be updated...

FINAL STANDINGS

1) Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) 2:48:16
2) Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) +0:29
3) Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ) +0:30
4) Mireia Benito (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) +0:31
5) Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) s.t.
6) Neve Bradbury (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) +0:50
7) Uršk Žigart (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) +0:51
8) Linda Laporta (BePink - Imatra - Bongioanni) +0:56
9) Soraya Paladin (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) +1:38
10) Gaia Segato (BePink - Imatra - Bongioanni) +1:51