Liv AlUla Jayco have wrapped up a successful edition La Vuelta Femenina, finishing the seven-day stage race with six top-10 finishes and seventh overall with Moncia Trinca Colonel.
The Italian secured her GC ranking with a strong ride to fifth place on the penultimate mountain stage, before battling the fearsome L’Angliru climb on the final day of racing to match her overall result from last season.
On a role
The Vuelta Femenenia got off to a shaky start for the Australian team as opening stage hopeful Letizia Paternoster crashed in the closing kilometres. Trinca Colonel was able to salvage a top-10 for the team, showing early signs of the strong week to come.
Paternoster then bounced back as she put together a string of impressive results in back-to-back stages. Firstly, on stage two, as she battled the climbs to sprint to fourth place before once again making it over the hills on a demanding stage three to take eighth place.
The Italian didn’t stop there as she took two top-three finishes on the following two stages, starting a powerful sprint on stage four and then with a gutsy ride on stage five as she fought back from a late crash and battled through the pain barrier to take another podium spot.
Monica vs mountains
The racing then moved into the mountains as Liv AlUla Jayco delivered Trinca Colonel to fifth place on a brutal stage after some super teamwork leading into the final climb. Unfortunately, Trinca Colonel was unable to back up her ride on the seventh and final stage, but the 26-year-old did enough to secure another seventh place overall.
Both Paternoster and Trinca Colonel were backed by a strong support group throughout the week of racing. Noa Jansen impressed in her debut Grand Tour, while Australian duo Josie Talbot and Ruby Roseman-Gannon did great jobs in leading out their team leaders in both the sprints and into the bottom of the climbs. The experienced Jeanne Korevaar once again selflessly worked for her leaders throughout the week, proving to be a dependable domestique across all terrains.
Monica Trinca Colonel:
“For sure I am a bit disappointed, because I missed some legs in the end on the steep part of L’Angliru. I didn’t expect such a hard climb like this, I don’t want to see this climb anymore!
I’m disappointed because the girls did really good work all week and I was so close to a top-five. But in the end, it is just like this, I think this is a hard sport and I will try again in the next races.”
Jess Allen (Sport Director)
“It was a huge ride from Monica on the final day. She’s a bit disappointed, as athlete you always want more, you’re striving for more, and you want to be better, stronger and faster. So it’s normal for her to have these sensations.
But the way she rode today, how she paced that climb, we’re incredibly proud of how she did, how the team raced. The season is long, we’re really happy with this result and the team is in a great position moving forward for the rest of the season.”
Photo: Sprint Cycling
