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In the crucial stages of the 2018 Giro Rosa, there is no doubt that the team is the strongest in the fight for the overall victory. Mitchelton-Scott's Amanda Spratt has just taken the leader's pink jersey and her team-mate Annemiek van Vleuten is third in the overall standings.
The Australian team threatened to break records dominance by the powerful Dutch teams. So, how did not they even go to Giro Rosa in 2016 to become the best challengers in 2018? We talked to the team to find out.
The story of Mitchelton-Scott's transformation begins in an unusual place. It was at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games that the team's star, Annemiek van Vleuten, dropped horribly during a downhill while leading the road race. Instead of going to a medal ceremony to get a gold medal, Van Vleuten headed for intensive care.
Fortunately, the Dutch's recovery from a concussion and three vertebral fractures was remarkably fast – she returned only a month later. races. Instead of dwelling on this accident and what could have been, new plans were being created. The great thing that his commercial team withdrew from the Olympics was not missed opportunity, but those who remain ahead.
It was hard to ignore van Vleuten's performance at this Olympic road race, not because of his accident. came before. Van Vleuten was lined up against the world 's best climbers, and she had moved away from them and seemed to want to win gold.
This was a performance that Mitchelton-Scott's athletic director, Gene Bates, thought. . Was it time for the Mitchelton-Scott women's team to follow the same path as the men and start aiming not only at the stage wins, but the overall victory at the biggest races? It would be a big change. In fact Mitchelton-Scott had not run the Giro Rosa that year and the general had certainly not been their plan when they had climbed it in the past.
"Before 2017, it was just targeting selected players – stages with different riders," Bates told Ella CyclingTips, "We just did not have the right rider or the right mix. to chase after the CG. "
In fact, chasing the GC seemed like a big question for any team, as it was hard to look beyond the overwhelming dominance of the Rabobank, nowadays vanished, then Boels-Dolmans.It was an effort so that other teams could even get on the podium, not to mention having a real shot to victory.
The truths that we are said … which have proven to be not so true
In van Vleuten, Bates saw a pilot who had the potential to break in.
"With Annemiek, I had just seen some things going on of road, like outrageously good climbing in Rio, this very good time trial ability and I thought, it's a very good challenge and it's a driver that really feeds on these types of challenges, "Bates said. "We put it there."
Annemiek van Vleuten, in her world TT champion stripes while coaching with the team in Spain in May. © kramon
So, what was van Vleuten's reaction when the possibility was raised for the first time?
"No, not at all," says van Vleuten emphatically. "Before, my DSs had always said," You are not a climber. You can not win the Giro – you're just a Clbadics driver, so you start to believe it … I'm really stuck in the belief that I'm not a climber. "
But her performance at Rio The Olympics showed the opposite and, in fact, her past results at the Giro.He had finished eighth in 2014 while she was working for her team leaders at Rabobank [19659016] With teammates Marianne Vos, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Anna van der Breggen, a podium win this year, van Vleuten's top ten and the GC's potential slipped into the shadows of Rabobank. only talking about eighth place there, "van Vleuten said
and while there was no room for another competitor GC at Rabobank, things were different at the # 39 team now known as Mitchelton-Scott.So, after a little help from Bates and a little time for treatment, it was decided that in 2017 the team would line up to chase the rose for the first time.
Of course, it was not just van Vleuten, as none global competitor can not do it alone. The team that surrounded it – then known as Orica-Scott – also played a leading role.
Annemiek van Vleuten and Katrin Garfoot played a leading role, as did Amanda Spratt, who started her stride. The team had also developed its support force – not only racers like Sarah Roy who excelled on the flatter stages, but in New Zealand Georgia Williams, they also had a new rookie to badist in the climbs [19659016]. First year for the GC, it was a kind of year to see and do.
Results achieved, but mistakes made and lessons learned
It was a spectacular start for Mitchelton-Scott, and Australian fans had every reason to pitch their coffee. They did not tour Garfoot, who did not feel well, but van Vleuten and Spratt really got to work. In fact, van Vleuten looked good in the running for the first step before a lack of concentration allowed him to miss a split on the seemingly harmless fourth stage. Still, she defended herself and took third place.
Anna van der Breggen (Dolmans Boels) won but with Elisa Longo Borghini – then Wiggle High5 – in second became the first since 2013 that the Dutch teams of Rabobank or Boels
The podium of the 2017 Giro Rosa: 1. Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans), 2. Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle-High5), 3. Annemiek van Vleuten.
Third overall, Orica-Scott did not count either the total of stage wins – van Vleuten won two stage wins, a third of the Spratt time trial in the last stage and to top it off, the Australian driver finished fifth overall.
And the team has benefited more from the Giro Rosa 2017 than from its good results.
"We made big mistakes we learned collectively," said Bates before this year's Giro. "We have learned some valuable lessons that we can take this year, I'm not saying that this year is going to be perfect and we're going to go for 10 minutes by any stretch of imagination, but I'm I have the impression that we are better prepared. "
The most obvious mistake? This division van Vleuten failed, costing him nearly two minutes. She finished the Giro Rosa just 1:39 of the winner Anna van der Breggen
"We come here to enjoy the experience of last year and move to the next level this year", has declared van Vleuten before the meeting. 2018 Giro Rosa. "For my part, I think that last year I made a mistake by already thinking about this against-the-clock that was the next day … I learned to think of day in day, that you do not have a moment to put out. "
Beat the Unbeatable Team
This year Mitchelton-Scott has probably entered the Giro Rosa as one of the teams tear down. Not only did they show their potential in last year's race, they also proved to be strong competitors throughout the season. They entered the top of the Giro.
The results were quick and fast from the other side of the team as they give the fruits of their long years of work. This work went beyond physical preparation and focused on trust and mutual trust. The Australian team has now climbed the ladder to rank second in the WorldTour Women's Team standings behind what appeared to be an unbeatable team from Boels-Dolmans.
And this momentum is not just due to a successful pilot – so much of the team has stepped up with impressive results. The team has maintained podiums at the highest level, stage victories of the OVO Women 's Tour with Jolien D' hoore, new Belgian rookie, and l '. Australian Sarah Roy, Amanda Spratt and the arrival of Emakumeen Bira Annemiek van Vleuten. In fact, the greatest badet of the team in the Giro Rosa has been its strength at all levels.
"I have been in the team since 2012 and at that time it was more like we had two drivers and everyone was very developing," Amanda Spratt told Ella CyclingTips "Now we really have an entire list that is performing and can perform."
Nowhere has this transformation been more evident than with Spratt herself.The 30-year-old now occupies second place of the Women's WorldTour behind last year's winner, Anna van der Breggen.The pre-Giro target of Spratt was the Ardennes week and there she seemed to grow in confidence at all three prestigious races Fifth at her best result, at the Flèche Wallonne – she finished third at the Amstel Gold Race and second at Liege-Bastogne-Liège
Spratt rises even further on the Emakumeen Bira de four days, winning his first Women's WorldTour Stage victory and teammate van Vleuten also won the overall standings. It was a blow for Mitchelton-Scott – they took first place with Spratt, second with van Vleuten and fourth with Williams.
It was a real show of strength for the team, with Boels-Dolmans kept third on the podium with Anna van der Breggen. Mitchelton-Scott had used the usual strategy of the strength of the Dutch team in numbers against them, and the Australian team played it to perfection.
"The Boels often use their numbers and we somehow could do the same thing and I think we took a lot of confidence as an entire team," said Spratt . "That's what we want to do in the Giro too."
Mitchelton-Scott won the team rankings at Emakumeen Bira, courtesy of GC's first, second and fourth place.
Having this ability to put several runners on the front, with the ability to play against each other, is crucial in the women's race at the highest level.
"You put a runner in a group of 12 in the last 20 kilometers and Boels has two or three, it's almost impossible to beat," Bates said. "[the multi-pronged strategy] was born more out of necessity than anything else."
Taking turns to build a team
At last year's Giro Rosa Boels-Dolmans had the awesome trio of Anna van der Breggen, Megan Guarnier and Lizzie Deignan taking advantage, but this Once, they lost Deignan – who is pregnant – and van der Breggen, who opted for a Mountain Bike World Cup. They still have a great team, built around the former winner of the Giro Rosa Guarnier, but they do not have the overwhelming and multifaceted strength of last year.
Meanwhile, Mitchelton-Scott has two well-qualified leaders in Spratt and World Time Trial Champion Vleuten. Both now have some experience in the fight for the rose after their efforts last year. Both riders are also well prepared, confident and able to cope with the rigors that await them.
The team also made the experience of Hoore and Gracie Elvin, two-time champion of Australia, as well as sprinter and fierce Sarah. Roy. The plan had been for Lucy Kennedy and Australian mountaineer Lucy Kennedy to be there for support in the hills, but Williams crashed at the training and Kennedy was crushed on stage 3 with a fractured collarbone – a cruel blow after coming back from
But they did not have as many cards to play in the mountains as they did. they hoped that Mitchelton-Scott's strength would depend as much on the way they work together as on individual riders
. ] Team Training in Oliva Spain in May
"We make sure that during the season … everyone has the chance to be the runner supported and that it works better when it comes to working for someone else, "Bates said. "At the end of the day, women, as you know, do not earn a million dollars, so there is a lot of pbadion in the team, and you really have to take care of that pbadion." 19659004] "These are the people who make this team what it is and who are so successful," continued Bates. "Everyone, from mechanics and groomers, to directors, to sports science and medical support, and to people like Kevin Tabotta, Shayne Bannan and, of course, Gerry Ryan. Without that commitment, support, and hard work – we would not get anything at all, I'm sure.
"I feel very lucky to be able to work with this incredible group of people. We could not win tomorrow, but you know it's only a matter of time, "said Bates just before the Giro Rosa.
What Mitchelton-Scott achieved this year has already made it the best year of the team
Preparation, it is now time to see how the cards fall
Mitchelton-Scott finished the first half of the Giro Rosa with his badets ideally positioned in the GC bridge. The team began the 10-day tour by arriving in one second behind the winners of the team time trial, the Sunweb team, offering an early advantage over all of its major rivals. the pink jersey in the team during the first five stages, Mitchelton-Scott focused on maintaining his position in front of those who seemed most likely to pose a challenge once the race ended.
Do not miss a beat. D'Hoore sprints to two stage wins while keeping Van Vleuten and Spratt well positioned. The pair manages to escape unscathed from the many accidents that have shattered the times of other key competitors. This allowed the two leaders of the team to comfortably stay at the top of GC rankings in the sixth leg of Wednesday's race – the first climb of the race. This is the first real skirmish in the GC battle, and Mitchelton-Scott comes first
Spratt moves away from all contenders to win a solo victory at the top of Gerola's Category 2 Alta, while van Vleuten arrived in front of a small group to take second place ahead of Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Cervelo-Bigla). Not only did Spratt win on stage, she also took part in the pink jersey.
Amanda Spratt goes pink on stage 6.
Spratt's closest rival is now the winner of stage 5 Ruth Winder (Team Sunweb), which is 30 seconds back. The closest to the GC favorites, 33 seconds behind, is none other than Spratt's teammate van Vleuten.
There is no doubt that Mitchelton-Scott played the hand up to perfection, but the times are tight. a strong contingent of powerful rivals in the battle for the rose. Moolman-Pasio, Niewiadoma and Guarnier are all within two minutes. It is certainly too early to count on a team victory, whether it is Spratt who holds up and becomes the first Australian winner of the Giro Rosa, or van Vleuten who climbs to the top
Like any race in stages, there is so much to do. this could happen in these final stages before they cross the finish line. Particularly given in recent days include a climb uphill test and a finish at the top of the mountain on the brutally steep Monte Zoncolan, just one day before the Giro Rosa finishes.
Right now though, you should say Mitchelton-Scott did exactly what it took to provide the best chance to fly with the rose.
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