Giro d'Italia Women 2024: Emond wins stage 4 - Niedermaier loses two places

Stage 4 of the women's Giro d'Italia 2024 had a few surprises in store. A breakaway rider, Clara Emond (EF Education-Cannondale), secured the stage win at the mountain top finish. The 27-year-old Canadian, who is also a qualified lawyer, broke away from the peloton early on with a group of five riders and left her companions behind on the first of three climbs. She finished 17 seconds ahead of the first chasing group.

I thought they would catch up with me at some point, but they didn't. At some point I started to believe that I could do it. It feels very special to celebrate my first victory here at the Giro. - Clara Emond

This was led by Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) ahead of Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez). The Dane thus improved by six positions to third place in the overall standings. The overall lead remains with Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), who together with Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) and the group around most of the other favourites reached the finish 48 seconds behind Uttrup Ludwig. Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM Racing) lost seven seconds on the pink jersey in the final ramp and slipped two positions to sixth overall due to the successful breakaway attempt by Uttrup Ludwig and Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar. However, the white jersey for the best young rider remains on the shoulders of the 21-year-old German.

Giro d'Italia Women 2024 - Results: the top 10 of stage 4

1. Clara Emond (EF Education-Cannondale) 3:35:45
2. Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) +0:17
3. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) +0:20
4. Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM Racing) +0:26
5. Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) +0:28
6. Giada Borghesi (Human Powered Health) +0:35
7. Jelena Eric (Movistar) +0:41
8. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) +1:08
9. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) +1:08
10. Mie Björndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility) +1:12

The current standings in the overall standings

1. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) 9:28:53
2. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) +0:13
3. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) +0:38
4. Juliette Labous (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:49
5. Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) +0:51
6. Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM Racing) +1:06
7. Niamh Fisher-Black (Team SD Worx - Protime) +1:07
8. Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco) +1:33
9. Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility) +1:34
10. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) +1:34

>> All stages of the Giro d'Italia Women 2024 at a glance

How the 4th stage of the 2024 women's Giro d'Italia went

The first promising leading group that was able to break away consisted of five riders: Carmela Cipriani, Ana Vitoria Magalhaes (both Bepink-Bongioanni), Clara Emond (EF Education-Cannondale), Silvia Zanardi (Human Powered Health) and Alice Palazzi (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo). This group quickly fell apart on the first climb after San Marino (2nd category). First Cipriani and Palazzi were dropped, then Zanardi, before Emond broke away solo at the front. The rest of her former companions were caught by the peloton.

Group around Uttrup Ludwig pulls away

Behind them, a new large chasing group formed around Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez). The Dane sniffed at the pink jersey in the overall classification with a gap of just 1:30 minutes. Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (AG Insruance - Soudal Team), who was also only 1:31 minutes behind Elisa Longo Borghini, also joined her after a slight delay. In the peloton, Team Movistar initially took the lead, while in the chasing group around Uttrup Ludwig, Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM Racing) attacked with Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) on the crest of Monte Osteriaccia (3rd category). The duo put around a minute between themselves and the Uttrup Ludwig group with a daring descent.

Emond saves a narrow lead to the finish

Canada's Clara Emond remained at the front, with a 1:30-minute lead going into the 13-kilometre final climb, which at 2.4 per cent on average is one of the roller hills. Initially, the race leader barely lost any of her lead over Chabbey and Magnaldi. The duo was caught by the group around Uttrup Ludwig five kilometres before the finish. The Dane herself then attacked, but continued to drag five companions with her. It was no longer enough for the chasers to catch Emond, who celebrated the biggest success of her career.

Liane Lippert and Antonia Niedermaier in the top 20

17 seconds later, Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) sprinted to second place, three seconds ahead of Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig. Behind her, Elisa Longo Borghini led the next group to the finish ahead of Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime). Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM Racing) lost seven seconds to Longo Borghini and Kopecky on the final ramp and crossed the finish line in nineteenth place, three positions behind Liane Lippert (Movistar). Although the 21-year-old dropped two positions in the overall standings to sixth place, she retained the white jersey for the best young rider.