Alessia Orsi Pulls Off a Stunning Victory at the Giro della Lunigiana

Alessia Orsi, riding for BFT Burzoni, is the queen of the fifth edition of the Giro della Lunigiana Donne, thanks to a perfect sprint finish on the stage from Arcola to La Spezia that turned the points classification on its head and shook up the overall standings. Orsi, who finished fifth in the opening stage, had her best day at the very decisive moment: finishing ahead of Angelina Novolodskaia, she earned the 100 points needed to take the lead in the standings.

Maddalena Pascut, who finished third, moved up to second place, overtaking Elena D’Agnese and Mexico’s Gaetanna Alhach Sjogren thanks to her best finish of the day. Orsi claimed the green jersey, a symbol of the consistency and strength she has shown over these first two days. As for the other awards, the polka-dot jersey for best climber goes to Novolodskaia, the white jersey for best young rider to Pascut, while the orange jersey for sprint classifications remains on the shoulders of Giulia Costa-Staricco, another BFT Burzoni rider.

Orsi’s victory came at the end of a tense, selective stage that was decided in the final kilometers. “The team was really counting on this Giro,” she said. “We did well yesterday with Giulia Costa-Staricco, and we wanted to defend her jersey. But our main goal was something else, and we were a bit disappointed after yesterday’s sprint.”

“When I saw that the field was splitting up on the final climb, and that I was one of the fastest, I started to think we could win. But these finishes in small groups are harder to control, and when Linda Rapporti tried to make a move, we found ourselves in a more complicated situation. My sister Martina was excellent, and I had to repay her for her work. The stage win and the jersey—we can’t complain about anything, and for me, it’s great to see my name on such a prestigious list of winners,” Orsi concluded.