Carmen Small of Durango sits in 92nd place overall heading into the final weekend of the Giro Rosa, after placing as high as fourth in a single stage of the 10-day event.
Small, riding for the Specialized lululemon team, was fourth Sunday in a finishing sprint during the second stage of the 25th annual race that tours Italy and features the world’s elite pro women.
The race will conclude with a 56-mile stage Saturday and a 50-mile stage Sunday that will begin near Milan and will end with an uphill finish in Madonna del Ghisallo.
On a Monday entry on her website after the third stage, Small noted how hot it was during the race.
“(Monday) I cracked big time in the heat,” she said. “I have never overheated so bad racing my bike.”
On Tuesday’s fourth stage, Small had a minor crash.
“Ouch. Hit the deck 2km to go,” Small said on Twitter. “Good thing Italian roads are slick, hardly any road rash. :) try again (Wednesday).”
After placing 84th on Friday’s seventh stage, Small moved up six places to 92nd overall out of 141 women remaining in the race.
The leader by 54 seconds after the seventh stage is Marianne Vos of the Netherlands. The top American is Mara Abbott, the four-time Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race champion riding for United HealthCare. Abbott currently is sixth, 3:08 behind Vos.
Small, who earned the bronze medal at the 2013 world championships in the individual time trial, can be followed online at www.carmen-small.com and on Twitter at @smallsunday.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
Tour de France
NANCY, France – A brief look at the seventh stage of the Tour de France on Friday.
Stage: A 234.5-kilometer (145.7-mile) mostly flat stage from Epernay, the capital of champagne country, to the eastern city of Nancy, a World Heritage site. The race was marred by multiple crashes, including one involving Andrew Talansky in the final sprint.
Winner: Matteo Trentin beat Peter Sagan in a photo finish. Sagan pulled away in the final climb of the day, the Cote de Boufflers, but he was reeled in by the pack in the penultimate kilometer.
Yellow Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali. The former Giro d’Italia and Spanish Vuelta winner finished in the pack to retain his two-second lead over Astana teammate Jakob Fuglsang. Two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador remains 2 minutes, 37 seconds behind.
Quote of the Day: “The Tour is cruel and unforgiving, Tejay van Garderen wrote on Twitter after his crash within the last 17 kilometers.
Stat of the Day: 63. The time in seconds lost by Van Garderen, who slipped to 18th in the overall standings, 3:14 behind Nibali.
Saturday’s Stage: A 161-kilometer (100-mile) trek from Tomblaine to Gerardmer La Mauselaine, featuring three climbs in the final 30 kilometers. Climbers will have a chance to shine in that tricky stage.
Associated Press
