New Zealand cyclist Niamh Fisher-Black showed her off her renowned climbing skills to win stage three of the Giro d’Italia Women.
The SD Worx professional capped a superb climb with the 12.5km ascent to Toano, near Bolonga, after she caught Liv AlUla Jayco rider Mavi Garcia with less than 2km remaining.
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The Kiwi star proved too strong in the final steep climb to the finish, with her teammate Lotte Kopecky finishing runner-up and jumping to second overall behind Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek).
Much of the 113km stage was open and flat before the challenging 12.5km final club to Toano.
“Unbelievable. It’s been a rough couple of weeks but I had a good feeling coming into the Giro,” said Fisher-Black. “Something about this stage spoke to me.
"I saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. This stage win in the Giro d'Italia is a boost for my self-confidence. This is the best win of my career.
“I am very happy with this win. It is confirmation that things are going in the right direction with my evolution. The Olympics are coming up, so everyone is in top form.”
The peloton was whittled in size on the climb after the pace went on from the Canyon-SRAM team, with only seven riders contesting the final few kilometres . Fisher-Black jumped across from the chasing group before she and Garcia fought out the final climb to the finish.
The Kiwi jumped again in the final push to the mountain-top finish, to record her first stage win at the Giro and with it the blue jersey for leader in the mountains.
Her teammate Lotte Kopecky was second to move to second overall, 13 seconds down on Elisa Longo-Borghini (Lidl-Trek) with Fisher-Black up to fifth on general classification, leader in the mountains race and third in the points jersey battle.
Fellow Kiwi Ella Wyllie (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) is fourth in the young rider category.
Wednesday's stage four marks the mid-point of the Giro, with two categorised clubs and a hilltop finish over 114km from Imola to Urbino.
The strong form is a boost for Fisher-Black who will compete in the Paris Olympics road race next month.
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