Megan Guarnier says that the Boels Dolmans team will miss defending champion Anna van der Breggen at this year's Giro d'Italia Internazionale Femminile, but believes that they have the strength and depth to cover for the loss. Also the current WorldTour leader, Van der Breggen has decided to skip the Giro in favour of riding the Val di Sole mountain bike World Cup this weekend.
"Anna is the defending champion and she would have been a strong contender on this course but she is doing some other things to keep her mind fresh for the remainder of the year and I think that one of Boels' strengths is that we can still race as a team and we can still go in confident because we're a team. It's not just one rider that everything hinges on," Guarnier told Cyclingnews on Monday evening.
"Going for the GC is a big thing for the team and I think that there are a lot of opportunities in the team for other stage wins and other jerseys. There are going to be seven women there with seven goals."
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It is a sign of just how strong the team is that even without Van der Breggen and Lizzie Deignan, who is currently taking a sabbatical while she is pregnant, the team can still boast reigning world champion Chantal Blaak, and Ronde van Drenthe winner and Tour of Flanders podium finisher, Amy Pieters among its starters on Friday. With Van der Breggen not racing, the general classification challenge falls to Guarnier.
The 33-year-old took overall victory during a bumper 2016 season, beating her teammate Evelyn Stevens and Van der Breggen, who was racing with Rabo Liv at the time. Her past victory puts her instantly into the elite group of pre-race favourites. However, her road to this point in the year has not been an easy one as she continues to deal with the after-effects of the broken jaw she suffered at the World Championships in Bergen last year.
The injury has not yet healed, and she has had plenty of medical appointments to keep up. She will also require a second surgery on her jaw at the end of the season. Despite it, she managed a podium finish at Flèche Wallonne, overall victory at the Tour de Yorkshire and several top-10 placings over the spring. It took its toll, however.
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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/giro-rosa-countdown-everything-doesnt-hinge-on-one-rider-says-guarnier
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