Trofeo Alfredo Binda: Shirin van Anrooij scores first elite road win in style with solo stunner
Cyclocross ace time trials to victory in Cittiglio before Elisa Balsamo completes Trek-Segafredo one-two out of chasing group.
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Just six weeks after winning the U23 cyclocross world title, Shirin van Anrooij bust the door down on her road career at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda.
Trek-Segafredo’s 21-year-old star attacked some 25 kilometers out from the line and launched the time trial of her life Sunday to win her first elite victory on the skinny tires.
Defending champion Elisa Balsamo secured a Trek-Segafredo one-two by winning the small group sprint for second, with Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ Suez) trailing in for third.
Van Anrooij’s victory gives her team a sweep of the past three Trofeo after Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borghini took the title before her.
“I just can’t believe it, it’s my first victory for the team. I never expected to stay away, I expected them to come back for someone to win in a sprint. Somehow I won this race,” Van Anrooij laughed at the finish.
A Trek-Segafredo 1-2 as @Elisa_balsamo wins the sprint behind @x_shirin 💪👏
An amazing team performance from our women at #TrBinda today! Chapeau 🎩 pic.twitter.com/L2ydxK7KgW
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) March 19, 2023
It took more than two hours of racing for the peloton to split open on the tough hilly course.
Trek-Segafredo, FDJ-Suez and Canyon SRAM were all active in trying to make the race hard enough to distance the sprinters, with Coryn Labecki (Jumbo-Visma) seen yo-yoing on and off the back of the bunch in the frantic dynamic.
SD Worx, Trek-Segafredo and Canyon SRAM all tried early moves but the bunch remained together until the second of the four local laps of Cittiglio.
Eleonora Ciabocco (DSM), Karlijn Swinkels (Jumbo-Visma), and Loes Adegeest (FDJ Suez) finally broke the deadlock after hours of tug-o-war racing between climber-focused and sprint specialist crews.
The trio got more of a 30-second gap, but the ever-aggressive peloton was always close behind and soon dragged the escape back.
Trek-Segafredo piled on all through the final with Gaia Realini before Van Anrooij made her winning move.
With defending champ and sprinter ace Balsamo waiting in the bunch, Van Anrooij burst away at around 25km to go and forced Trek-Segafredo’s rivals to chase.
Mavi Garcia (Liv-TeqFind), Marta Cavalli (FDJ Suez), and Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) led the charge in the reduced bunch behind, but Van Anrooij couldn’t be caught.
The Dutchwoman crossed the final Ornio climb with almost a 20-second gap and made a 7km all-or-nothing TT toward the final.
The chase behind Van Anrooij of around 15 riders malfunctioned as her Trek-Segafredo teammates Balsamo and Amanda Spratt disrupted the rhythm.
Van Anrooij roared down the iconic final straight all alone before Balsamo launched a long sprint to deliver the team its one-two.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com