Fresh from re-signing with her Alé Cipollini team, Chloe Hosking is looking to reward them this summer with a victory on home soil. The 26-year-old Australian heads into the Giro Rosa this week with hopes set on adding to the stage victory she picked up in the race last year.
In what was a bumper year for Hosking, she beat soon-to-be teammate Marta Tagliaferro and current teammate Giorgia Bronzini into Lendinara on stage 3. In an Italian team there is more pressure on Hosking to deliver, particularly after a stage win at the Women's Tour earlier in the month, but she hopes that she can rise to the occasion.
"Last year, winning the stage at the Giro I think that was my season highlight even over La Course," Hosking told Cyclingnews. "I think it's such a beautiful race for women's cycling and going there with an Italian team, there's more an element of pressure, but hopefully I can rise to the situation and deliver a stage win. We have quite a strong team going to the Giro. People often forget that Marta Bastianelli is a former World Champion. We've also got her."
ADVERTISEMENT
Over the first part of the season, Hosking has been getting to know her new teammates on and off the bike. Knowing what makes them tick and how they function in a bike race is crucial to working efficiently and effectively in a race situation. For Hosking, one of the most important aspects will be the sprint train. Once a novelty, they are now par for the course, and Alé Cipollini has been refining theirs ahead of the Giro Rosa.
The Italian race, the only Grand Tour on the women's calendar, will be the first big opportunity to see how Alé Cipollini shapes up against the bigger teams. Hosking believes that they've made some big steps, but she's ready to fly solo if needs be.
"I think we did a lot of good work in China, but we haven't really been tested at the top level when everyone is going," explained Hoksing. "I think that the best team for a lead-out is Canyon-SRAM and we haven't been up against them yet. The Giro will be the first opportunity for that. We'll just have to see how it goes.
Planning for the future
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2srjoIl
No comments:
Post a Comment