Urška Žigart looks back on a strong Giro d’Italia

Urška Žigart looks back on a strong Giro d’Italia

The ambitious Slovenian delivered her country’s best ever result at the Corsa Rosa.

As one of only two riders to have raced and finished La Vuelta and Il Giro in the top ten this season, Urska Zigart has a lot of things to be proud of. In the space of just one month, she clocked up 18 days and more than 2000 kilometers on the bike, this taking into account just the two Grand Tours. It was a journey that took her from the rugged terrain of Galicia, through Asturias, and finally to the charming Piedmont via Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

“After a strong Vuelta, I wanted to do well also in the Giro, but I knew that it would be more complicated, because there were a lot of strong riders at the start. I was determined to improve my result from last year and I wanted to know how I could hold my shape for a longer period. It was a challenge, and I think I can be content with the way I passed it”, said Urska from home, where she is recovering after the Corsa Rosa.

The start of the Giro d’Italia belonged to the sprinters, and it was only on the fourth day of the competition that the GC riders could show themselves and make inroads in the overall ranking, where things were still tight before the Nevegal time trial: “The first couple of days were quite easy, but you still had to remain attentive the whole time, especially as a rider with ambitions for the GC. It was only after that hard stage against the clock that the general classification began taking shape and I was happy to be part of the top ten after the first important day of the week.”

After making it through the fifth stage, where as she puts it, “I suffered the most the whole race and had to fight with myself in order to survive”, the 29-year-old moved her attention to the daunting Colle delle Finestre, the highlight of the penultimate day: “Finestre wasn’t the hardest climb I’ve done - I rank Angliru and the Zoncolan above it in terms of how hard they are - but that doesn’t mean it was a walk in the park. I chose a pacing strategy with Sestriere in mind, but then we got news that the stage would end at the top, so we had to change tactics. For me, the original parcours would have been better, but I understand the decision was taken for our safety, it’s just a pity that this changed things and the way we tackled the ascent.”

“As it turned out, the final stage ended up being the queen stage of the Giro”, says Urska of the day that saw her gain a place in the standings. “The pace was intense on the first climb, basically a sprint from the corner that marked the start of the ascent. I had to let go of the group and continue at my own pace, then recovered in the downhill and managed to bridge across to the maglia rosa group. However, they didn’t want too many riders there and soon started attacking, so I found myself in the white jersey group together with Lore. We kept the pace high, worked well together, and as I felt good on the last climb, I set a solid tempo, but unfortunately we had bad luck when Lore needed to switch bikes and I crashed in a corner on the descent.”

This setback couldn't stop Urska from her mission to remain in the top ten overall. Not only did she achieve this by displaying a lot of heart and resilience, the Slovenian even managed to improve her final position: “From the moment I got back on the bike, it was full gas until the finish. We were in three and rode like it was a team time trial until the finish line. I’m glad I could jump a place in the standings; eighth place is an improvement and a realistic result of where I am at the moment. To be top ten in two Grand Tours in the same season is something that I’m proud of, as I am of the whole team and how they handled everything. Women’s cycling is currently at a level I haven’t seen before and I’m happy to be part of it.”