If you were able to plan the way in which you would take your first ever professional victory, there could well be three boxes you'd like to tick: Solo. Summit. Grand Tour.
Canadian late-starter Clara Emond managed to fulfil every one of those when she took the honours on stage four of the Giro d'Italia Women , after 40km out front alone in the hills.
The EF Education-Cannondale rider had spent more than 80km of the 134km stage from Imola to Urbino out front, as she was part of the early break.
A strong chase group followed close behind into the hill-top finish, which came after a succession of climbs in the second half of the stage.
Then, around a minute after Emond had crossed the line, came the GC favourites, with Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) drag-racing each other to the line, the Italian edging it by a few centimetres.
"It's my first win ever, so it feels super good," said 27-year-old Emond, who only started bike racing after graduating as a lawyer and beginning her career. "I'm really proud of our team work, and really happy to have been able to show what I can do.
She added: "I thought at one point they would catch me and they never did, and I really started to believe in it on the last climb.
"It's going to help me to have more confidence. I started cycling a bit late, and I was always lacking that confidence without ever achieving any of those step results."
At the top of the GC, pink jersey Longo Borghini and rival Kopecky are still separated by just 13 seconds, but the lower placings have shuffled, with Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Suez) and Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar moving up into third and fifth places respectively, thanks to finishing in the chasing group close behind Emond.
How it happened
Setting out from Imola's city centre and taking in its famous motor racing circuit, the race was run off in hot and sunny conditions, with temperatures in the low thirties.
An early attack by three riders from the host nation – Carmela Cipriani (Bepink-Bongioanni), Sylvia Zanardi (Human Powered Health) and Alice Palazzi (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) got the gap, with its numbers swelling a short while later, courtesy of Cipriani's Bepink team-mate Ana Vitória Magalhāes and Clara Emond (EF Education-Cannondale).
They remained out front throughout what was a flat to rolling first half of the stage, gaining a gap of nearly six minutes at one point but well aware of the challenging trio of climbs in the second half – a second-cat followed by two thirds.
The race hit the first climb to San Marino with around 55km to ride, shortly after which the three Italian women who had initiated the break were dropped. Magalhāes only lasted a short while longer, leaving Emond to go it alone with 40km to the finish.
A large group of strong riders set out in pursuit, included Elise Chabbey (Canyon SRAM), Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Suez) and Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal).
Over the top of the second-last climb – the category-three Monte Osterriaccia with 24km to ride, Chabbey attacked with Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), the pair prising themselves away from the large chasing group on the descent.
Their valiant chase brought Emond to within around a minute, but the chasing pair were absorbed by the bigger chase group behind in the final kilometres of the last climb.
Try as they might though, they could not bring Emond to heel, although it looked as though the gap might be swallowed up in the final 500 metres as the chasers opened up their finishing efforts. But the Canadian held on, winning by 17 seconds.
Results
Giro d'Italia Women, Stage 4: Imola > Urbino, 134km
1. Clara Emond (Can) EF Education-Cannondale, in 3:35:45
2. Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon-SRAM, +17s
3. Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-Suez, +20s
4. Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM, +26s
5. Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (Mus) AG Insurance-Soudal, +28s
6. Giada Borghese (Ita) Human Powered Health, +35s
7. Jelena Erič (Ser) Movistar, +41s
8. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Lidl-Trek, +1:08
9. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, at s.t.
10. Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility, +1:12
General Classification after Stage 4
1. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Lidl-Trek, in 9:28:53
2. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, +13s
3. Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ-Suez, +38s
4. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich-PostNL, +49s
5. Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (Mus) AG Insurance-Soudal, +51s
6. Antonia Niedermaier (Ger) Canyon-SRAM, +1:06
7. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) SD Worx-Protime, +1:07
8. Mavi García (Esp) Liv Jayco-AlUla, +1:33
9. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility, +1:34
10. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck, at s.t.
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