After struggling in the heat the previous day, Lola Bakker returned to winning form in Riolunato. The Dutch rider, who had lost over 15 minutes on Stage 2, paced herself smartly from the start and turned the race back in her favour.
Choosing not to follow Syd Schulz’s initial tempo, Bakker conserved her strength and began clawing back time on the Monte Cimone ascent, eventually rejoining the American at the summit. Schulz then slipped on the descent — without injury — but the battle was only settled in the final kilometres, where Bakker surged ahead.
She crossed the line in 4:45:56, 45 seconds ahead of Schulz, who retains the Maglia Rosa Lavor with an overall lead of 13’38”. Linda Van Vliet placed third on the stage and remains third overall, although she conceded nearly an hour today.
“I went out at my own pace, just to see how I was feeling after yesterday,” said Bakker. “After the first climb, I realized I had good legs, so I pushed harder on the second and caught Syd. I won it in the final kilometres — it was a stunning stage, maybe my favourite ever at Appenninica.”
“I think I misjudged my effort today,” admitted Schulz. “I was exhausted by the end. The scenery was incredible again, but the heat really took it out of me.”