Dubai: Team Abu Dhabi rider Chiara Consonni feels her hardwork this season helped her reach the summit in the Paris Olympic Games, where she teamed up with Vittoria Guazzini to give Italy a shock win over Britain in the women’s sprint at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome.
It was another thrilling day at the velodrome where Italian riders Consonni and Guazzini powered to the gold in the women’s madison, which was held for only the second time at an Olympics.
The pair won three of the 12 sprints to finish on 37 points after a gruelling 120 laps, six clear of world champion British duo Neah Evans and Elinor Barker.
The madison is a two-person tactical relay event which features a mass start, with points accumulated from sprints every 10 laps. Crucially, an extra 20 points can be earned if a team laps the field, which is what Italy managed to do, sending them surging up the leaderboard.
“Winning an Olympic medal feels incredible! Since the start of the racing season, I have been pushing hard and giving every race my best effort. My UAE Team ADQ teammates and I spoke shortly after I had won in Paris, and their genuine support was heartfelt,” the 25-year-old told Gulf News. “I can only say thanks to all the team, for all the people who believed in us.”
The Italian exhibited her preparedness for the Olympics by defeating a quality field during her win in the gruelling 110-km second stage of Giro d’Italia Women from Sirmione to Volta Mantovana.
In her powerful sprint to the finish line, Consonni overtook world champion Lotte Kopecky of Team SD Worx — Protime. Chiara also wore the red jersey as leader in the Points Classification.
Consonni, after the win, said: “I am happy with this victory. I knew it could be the right day for me, but there were many other strong riders here and it’s never easy to win. But today my teammates did a fantastic job for me. I got on Lotte Kopecky’s wheel in the finale, waited for her to launch the sprint and then took off and caught up. I knew I was OK; I had a good feeling and I’m happy that I managed to win again here at the Giro.”
After a hectic schedule, which culminated in the Olympics gold for Chiara, the Italian has taken a much-needed break and is not part of the UAE Team Abu Dhabi in the Tour de France Femmes.
A strong UAE Team ADQ, including Sofia Bertizzolo, Mikayla Harvey, Lizzie Holden, Karolina Kumiega, Erica Magnaldi, Silvia Persico and Karlijn Swinkels, are competing in the seven-day event that beginn at Rotterdam, The Hague and finish with the 150km stage eight at Le Grand-Bornand — Alpe d’Huez on August 18.
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes will feature seven days of racing across eight stages, totalling 946 kilometres (588 miles). The initial three stages were held in the Netherlands, with two of them on Tuesday — a shorter stage, followed by an individual time trial.
The race will then move south into Belgium, covering roads familiar from classic races like the Amstel Gold Race and Liege—Bastogne—Liege. Upon entering France, the race will continue southward, concluding with two final stages in the Alps, including a dramatic summit finish at Alpe d’Huez, which stands at an elevation of 1,850 metres.
“It is my turn to offer them best wishes at the Tour de France Femmes. It’s a tough race, but we are an incredibly resilient team,” Consonni concluded.
