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Olivia Baril seventh in WorldTour one-day race Trofeo Alfredo Binda

Canada's Clara Emond lights up race with 44-km solo breakaway

March 17, 2024
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Canada saw its best result of the 2024 Women’s WorldTour at Sunday’s seventh round, as Olivia Baril earned seventh place in Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Lidl-Trek continued its stranglehold on Trofeo Alfredo Binda, taking a fourth consecutive title in Cittiglio, Italy. Elisa Balsamo claimed her second Alfredo Binda in three years, winning from a reduced bunch sprint. World champion and WorldTour leader Lotte Kopecky was second and Puck Pieterse claimed her second 2024 WorldTour podium in a week.

On March 8 Olivia Baril won Stage 1 of the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas.

The WWT Winners So Far
Tour Down Under: Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance–Soudal)
Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race: Rosita Reijnhout (Visma)
UAE Tour: Kopecky (SD Work-ProTime)
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Strade Bianche: Kopecky
Ronde van Drenthe: Lorena Wiebes (SD Work-ProTime)

Neve Bradbury of Canyon-SRAM and Elisa Longo Borghini had both chalked up two podiums. The best Canadian result was Simone Boilard’s 23rd in the UAE Tour. At the top of the individual standings Kopecky led the absent Longo Borghini by 471 points.

The Canadian contingent was Baril, Magdeleine Vallieres, Clara Emond and Adèle Normand.

The Course

After 52 km, the race entered a 17.5-km circuit around Cittiglio for 5 laps. Each lap contained the Orino and Casale climbs.

After a few failed breakaways, Clara Emond took off on her own with 105 km remaining. She survived her solo effort until the second lap. The work of Lidl-Trek and AG Insurance-Soudal pared down the numbers to 60.

Vallieres was at the front of the group, attentive to the attacks. The race entered the penultimate lap with French rider Jade Wiel just ahead. After was Wiel yanked back, Puck Pieterse attacked on the Casale.

Puck tries her luck on the penultimate lap.

On the Orino, Kiwi Niamh Fisher-Black bridged over to Pieterse. It came back together on the descent, prompting Fisher-Black’s SD Worx-ProTime teammate Marlen Reusser to try to get loose.

It was all together when the peloton heard the bell. Fisher-Black roared up the Casale, stringing out the bunch and reducing the numbers. Elise Chabbey kept pushing the pace on the downhill. Vallieres was in the ever-growing group as it roared towards the Orino. Neve Bradbury made a strong thrust when the road tipped up. Movistar’s Mareille Meijering joined her. Fisher-Black caught them and counterattacked.

Vallieres leads the pack.

The reigning champion Shirin van Anrooij sewed it up by the crest. With gravity in play, Meijering pushed clear. At 2 km to go, the Dutch rider’s gap was tiny. Twenty-two women caught her just before the red kite.

Kopecky opened it up on the right hand side and Balsamo sprinted right down the middle, keeping the streak alive. Vallieres, who was 41st in 2022, placed 12th.

The next WorldTour round is Thursday’s Classic Brugge-De Panne.

2024 Trofeo Alfredo Binda
1) Elisa Balsamo (Italy/Lidl-Trek) 3:40:09
2) Lotte Kopecky (SD Work-ProTime) s.t.
3) Puck Pieterse (The Netherlands/Fenix-Deceuninck) s.t.
7) Olivia Baril (Canada/Movistar) s.t.
12) Magdeleine Vallieres (Canada/EF Education-Cannondale) +0:02