Lorena Wiebes leaves Giro d’Italia Donne early

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx) will not start the final three stages of the Giro d’Italia Donne, her team confirmed on Thursday morning.

After finishing second on stage 6, the Dutch sprinter left the race ahead of stage 7 in order to focus on other goals.

“With an eye on the Tour de France Femmes, a recovery period now follows,” SD Worx said in a short message.

Prior to pulling out, Wiebes had been enjoying a very successful Giro d’Italia Donne, winning the only pure sprint stage so far on stage 3 with her signature fast finish ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) and Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM).

Perhaps her most impressive performance, however, came on stage 6, when she finished second behind none other than race leader and Grand Tour specialist Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar).

On a day that featured three categorised climbs and an uphill finish, the sprint specialist Wiebes was able to stay with an elite group that contained the likes of Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich) after Van Vleuten’s solo attack.

After holding on over the climbs in the company of some very strong climbers, Wiebes was able to unleash her characteristic speed - albeit over a much steeper finishing kilometre than she is used to - and finish second ahead of Lippert.

“I always knew that a slightly uphill finish suits me, but this year I can do a bit more than before on these kinds of arrivals,” Wiebes said after the stage. “From the start of this season, I have been trying to be more than just a sprinter. Thanks to the strength of Team SD Worx, my level has also improved. This is confirmation that I have become a more complete rider.”

This is not the first time the Dutchwoman has impressed over more challenging terrain. The improvement in her climbing and versatility first became apparent at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in the spring, and she was able to tackle a very steep finish on a stage of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas to cross the line first, although she was later relegated for a deviation in the sprint.

Leaving the Giro early, Wiebes’ focus will now turn to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which starts in just over two weeks’ time. Then riding for Team DSM, Wiebes won two stages and wore the yellow and green jerseys at last year’s Tour, before a crash forced her to abandon during the penultimate stage.

This year, Wiebes will be targeting the sprints and punchy finishes, as well as taking home the green jersey. Her performance at the Giro appears to have boosted the Dutch rider’s confidence ahead of the Tour, as she seeks to target a broader range of stages.

“This also opens up opportunities for the Tour de France Femmes. That way, with Team SD Worx, we can make the race hard on the climbs to hopefully wear down or throw the other sprinters overboard."

The Giro Donne continues on Thursday with a stage to Alassio, before two punchy days in Sardinia over the weekend.