Between the 6th and the 13th of July, the Tour de France won't be the only Grand Tour going on, as the women's World Tour heads to Italy for the 2025
Giro d'Italia Women.
Team SD Worx - Protime will, as always, be one of the leading teams, and they have now unveiled their lineup for the race.
Leading the charge are the all-star trio of world champion
Lotte Kopecky, European champion
Lorena Wiebes and four-time Giro d'Italia winner
Anna van der Breggen. “Lotte Kopecky will ride the Giro d’Italia in preparation for the Tour de France Femmes. The overall classification in France is her main goal. The Giro is a great race on the way to peak form in the Tour,"
explains sports manager Danny Stam in a press release on Team SD Worx - Protime's official website. "In Italy, we will not put any pressure on Lotte to perform in the general classification. There is a lot of climbing in this Giro d'Italia. Of course, she will undoubtedly choose a stage where she wants to dominate, but otherwise the aim is for her to build confidence ahead of the Tour de France Femmes."
European champion Wiebes meanwhile, will look to prove herself once again, as the fastest female sprinter on two wheels. "Lorena Wiebes is having a great season. If there are sprint opportunities in this Giro d'Italia, then we obviously have a strong trump card in Lorena," Stam explains. "It's always nice to race with her as a top sprinter. With all those climbs in the Giro, it will also be a tough race for her, but knowing Lorena, she will definitely try to peak a number of times."
Four-time Giro winner Van der Breggen makes her return, but like with Kopecky, Stam is keen to not put any GC pressure on. “Anna van der Breggen has gained a lot of confidence with her third place and stage win in the Vuelta a España Feminina. In the Giro, she may have some cautious ambitions for the general classification, although the Giro is also preparation for the Tour de France Femmes for her," he says. "Her main goal is to support Lotte as best she can in France. With a view to preparing well for the Tour, she will definitely want to test her legs in the Giro and then see how that works out for the final classification."
Completing a strong team for SD Worx, are the quartet of
Steffi Haberlin,
Mikayla Harvey, Barbara Guarischi and Elena Cecchini. "We are not starting with a big ambition to win the overall classification in the Giro, but when we can force a good starting position, we are not going to miss such a great opportunity," Stam says of the wider team goals. "Because of this approach, a number of riders have a freer role to be able to go for stage wins."
Team SD Worx - Protime for the 2025 Giro d'Italia Women
Lotte Kopecky
Lorena Wiebes
Anna van der Breggen
Steffi Haberlin
Mikayla Harvey
Barbara GuarischiElena Cecchini