The Italian Giro Rosa is the longest and most prestigious cycling stage race on the Women’s World Tour calendar.
Australian cyclists
Mitchelton Scott
Amanda Spratt @amandaspratt87 & instagram - GC, climber. Spatt is a punchy climber and will likely attempt a stage win on one of the hilltop finishes.
Lucy Kennedy @kennedylucy_ - Climber, time-trialist, domestique. As a neo-pro Kennedy will provide valuable support for the team’s GC riders on the climbs.
Gracie Elvin @gracieelvin & instagram - Domestique, sprint leadout. Elvin will play a support role for GC riders and can provide a strong leadout for teammates Jolien D’hoore or Sarah Roy for potential stage wins.
Sarah Roy @sar_roy & instagram - Domestique, sprinter. Like Elvin, Roy will support GC, but may take an opportunity for a stage win on one of the flatter stages.
Jessica Allen @jessallen1992 - Domestique. Allen has been called up last minute to replace her injured teammate. She will also ride as a strong support for the team's GC contenders.
Wiggle High5
Amy Cure @amycure & instagram - Time-trialist, domestique. As a member of the Australian team pursuit squad on the track, Cure will be valuable in the TTT. She will also be used in the sprint leadout for teammate Kirstin Wild who will be targeting stage wins.
Movistar
Rachel Neylan @rachneylan & instagram - Climber, domestique. Neylan is much more experienced than many of her teammates and is likely to provide valuable leadership and support in the hills.
FDJ
Shara Gillow @sharagillow & instagram - GC, climber. Gillow finished 12th in last years Giro Rosa and will look to improve her result this year.
Lauren Kitchen @lozzkitchen - Domestique, sprinter. Kitchen will mainly play a support role, but may take an opportunity for a stage win.
Ále Chipollini
Chloe Hosking @chloe_hosking & instagram - Sprinter. Hosking is one of the top sprinters in the women’s peloton and will be aiming to win on the flatter finishes.
Canyon // SRAM Racing
Tiffany Cromwell @tiffanycromwell & instagram - Domestique. Cromwell will ride to support GC and may take an opportunity for a stage win.
Follow the action
Twitter: @GiroRosaCycling
#GiroRosa #GiroRosa18 #UCIWWT
Video highlights UCI YouTube Channel
Streaming on PMG YouTube Channel (not live)
EuroSport/Foxtel highlights
Cycling terminology
Category # climb - There are 5 categories of climbs, which are defined by steepness and length. The most difficult is Hors catégorie (HC), french for “beyond categorisation”, followed by category 1, with the easiest climb being category 4.
GC - General Classification. This is the overall result from a staged race. GC riders need to be all-rounders, good at climbing as well as time-trialing.
Sprinter - A cyclist who specialises in sprint finishes. A sprinter will focus on taking stage wins on flatter courses.
Sprint leadout - In the lead up to a sprint finish teams will organise in a line,setting a high pace to keep their sprinter at the front. Riders peel off one-by-one to finally launch their sprinter at the perfect distance from the line.
Time-trialist - A cyclist who specialises in individual races against the clock and can sustain high power efforts for a long intervals.
Domestique - A cyclist with general ability across all terrain whose main task is to support teammates by collecting bottles from the car or driving the front of the peloton or chasing breaks where necessary.
Peloton - The main group of cyclists in a race, usually including the GC leader.
Puncheur - a cyclist who specialises in short steep climbs. In a stage race, puncheurs tend to be used to attack and creates breaks or chase down breakaway riders from other teams. They may look for an opportunistic stage win.
Neo-pro - first year professional
Maglia rosa - Pink jersey, worn by the rider who is winning the general classification at the beginning of any given stage
Classics - A series of one-day races during the European spring, mainly in Belgium.