After a strong showing at last weekend’s UCI Women’s WorldTour race, Strade Bianche, with a fifth-place finish and three riders in the top 20, Liv AlUla Jayco are raring to go at Trofeo Alfredo Binda on Sunday with a solid and diverse squad led by climber Mavi Garcia, and sprint option Letizia Paternoster.
This early season Italian one-day classic is often unpredictable with a mix of large groups making it to the finish line in Cittiglio together or smaller groups of elite climbers after a challenging 152km of racing.
The way the race is raced really effects how demanding the undulating terrain is on the legs, and Liv AlUla Jayco are confident in their approach, bringing in a mix bag of riders ready for an edition that has increased to six tough laps around the finishing circuit in Cittiglio.
Punchy powerhouse Paternoster will provide the team with the speed should the race come down to a sprint, whilst climbers Ella Wyllie, Garcia and Monica Trinca Colonel give the team another card to play attacking on the climbs.
The all-round power and speed of both Caroline Andersson and Silke Smulders, who enjoyed a top start to the season Down Under with a second-place finish overall, ensures the team are ready to fight for any type of outcome in an attempt to turn their recent and consistent top 10’s into podium finishes.
Liv AlUla Jayco at Binda:
Caroline Andersson (SWE)
Mavi Garcia (ESP)
Letizia Paternoster (ITA)
Silke Smulders (NED)
Monica Trinca Colonel (ITA)
Ella Wyllie (NZL)
Mavi Garcia
“After Strade Bianche we are feeling ready and confident for this weekend. The team is in good shape, and we have been working together very well. Binda is always a hard race, and it is not always clear how the race will end. The final laps with the Orino climb each time make it a hard race.
I hope to have a good result with many options in the team to play. After Strade Bianche I know that I have good form like Silke and Mónica! We will be fighting hard on Sunday for a top result.”
Gene Bates – Sport Director
“It is a bit of an unpredictable race as we’ve seen in the past years, it can go a few different ways. We’ve seen solo riders win, really selective little groups and also quite a large groups get to the finish so it all depends how it’s raced. This year though, it is harder with six laps of the finishing circuit, 2400 metres of altitude gained so it’s going to be a solid race but I think there’s still that possibility it could come down to some sort of group finish.
When we look at our group, we’ve got a great climbing group here again, a similar team to what we had at Strade and we know they’re going well and the confidence is high in the group. We’ve added Letitzia into the mix for this race with the thought that if it does come down to a group sprint , then we’ve got someone there who’s fast and can take on the likes of Balsamo or some of these other quicker riders that are able to get around this circuit. In summary, we’ve got a well-rounded team, a good climbing group btu we are also ready for sprint should it come about. It does get harder trying to manage those goals but with good communication and the good feeling within the group at the moment, everyone is excited to race and to see what we can do on Sunday.”
Photo: Sprint Cycling
