An in-form Mavi García is aiming for the podium at the 2024 Giro d’Italia Women as she leads a Liv AlUla Jayco team ready to take on the general classification.
García is a former podium finisher at the Italian grand tour, taking third in the 2022 edition alongside Annemiek van Vleuten and Marta Cavalli. The Spanish rider arrives at the Giro d’Italia Women on strong form after a commanding win at the Vuelta a Andalucía in late May, where the whole team dominated the race.
A new era
This year’s Giro d’Italia Women is the start of a new era for the eight-day race. While it is one of the oldest events on the women’s calendar, with its debut edition in 1988, this year’s race will be the first organised by RCS – the same organisation that runs the men’s Giro.
The 2024 menu includes a total distance of 872km divided into eight stages, starting on Sunday, 7th July with a TT and finishing Sunday, 14th July. The race will track from north to south with the riders facing Saturday’s queen stage to the crucial Blockhaus climb before another mountainous test on Sunday to close out the race.
Mavi Garcia:
“I think I prepared very well for my seventh Giro. It is one of my favourite races and has given me great satisfaction with four top-10s in the last four editions. After the victory the Vuelta a Andalucía at the end of May, I trained at altitude to compete at the nationals. I know that every year that passes, it is more and more difficult, but I will try to fight for the podium in one of the toughest Giros in recent years.”
A balanced team ready to battle
Riding alongside García will be, young neo-pro and New Zealand champion, Ella Wyllie who will also be targeting a good general classification result as well as competing for the youth jersey. Wyllie was one of the dominant Liv AlUla Jayco crew that dominated the Vuelta a Andalucía alongside García, winning a stage and finishing third overall.
Helping them in their undertaking are the climbing talents of recently crowned Slovenian time trial and road race champion Urška Žigart, the strength of Amber Pate and the tactical vision of Dutch rider Silke Smulders.
Completing the Liv AlUla Jayco line-up on the Italian roads are a couple of fast finishers. They are Ingvild Gåskjenn, a major protagonist in the spring classics and podium finisher at the Amstel Gold Race, and Australian road champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon who recently scored her first WorldTour victory when she won a stage of the Tour of Britain Women.
Shawn Clarke (Sport Director):
“We have a pretty good and competitive team for this Giro, which presents a very hard course. The further south you go, the harder it becomes. We have Mavi and Ella, who are both good climbers, and will go for GC and Ella also for the youth jersey. We have a couple of fast finishers with Ruby and Ingvild, and there are two stages that suit both of them very well. In support, we have Urška, a fresh Slovenian champion who is doing super well, Amber, who has grown a lot this season, and finally, Silke who is a solid all-rounder.”
Liv AlUla Jayco Team for 2024 Giro d’Italia Women:
Mavi García (ESP)
Ingvild Gåskjenn (NOR)
Amber Pate (AUS)
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS)
Silke Smulders (NED)
Ella Wyllie (NZL)
Urška Žigart (SLO)
Photo: Sprint Cycling
