Elisa Balsamo: "This win is very important for me because I am here to prepare for the Giro"

Elisa Balsamo scored her fifth victory of the season today. The Italian rider sprinted to victory in the third stage of the Tour de Suisse, ahead of Évita Muzic and Liane Lippert.  

The peloton sprinted for the stage victory. Balsamo was in a good position with a few hundred meters to go, she managed to hold against Muzic by a few meters. "It was a tough stage with several climbs. The final kilometer was very tough, but I still managed to sprint to victory. I am very happy with that. This win is very important for me because I am here to prepare for the Giro," the World champion described. She holds 16th place in GC after stage 3 while teammate Lucinda Brand sits in 2nd position in GC.