Tribute to Mara Abbott - Ciclismo in Rosa
Video Interview with Mara Abbott - Velonews

Mara Abbott Wins Giro De Italia Femminile 2010!!
Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi.

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Showtime in the Women's Giro Picking up the action after the flat stages and heading into the mountains... We are very close to stage 8 and 9, and there hasn't been any major shakeups. Marianne Vos has almost a two minute lead, but I don't believe she can hold that in the mountains. Emma and Mara are basically at the same time, so all is good so far in the buildup to an epic show in the mountains. Vos is dangerous and I wouldn't allow her too much more time ahead on the GC, but if the peloton holds together, I think that lead will be erased in stage 8, or surely in stage 9. I'm guessing that everyone will crack in stage 8 except Mara and Emma, and then in Stage 9, an epic showdown between Emma and Mara. Yeah guys, I know Claudia wants to win too, but my heart is with Emma and Mara. That's the big show for me, and I don't believe Claudia can follow pace, as she dropped off in even a much smaller climb last year on Mount Serra. No, this race is clearly for the climbers and that is certainly what the organizers had in mind! I betting Emma won't hold back forever pacing Claudia and at some point, Emma will have to bridge up to Mara cause Cervelo has to stay in contention as a team. Better that someone wins for Cevelo then no one wins, and that has got to be Emma Pooley. She's the only one who can hang with Mara Abbott on the big category climbs, as Stelvio is beyond category which means as long as it is, pure climbers can just gain large chucks of time the longer the climb is. It's the pure climbers game, and it's gutsy, it's fascinating, and it's the chemistry of the mountains in an almost spiritual like journey for the climbers. It's almost like the mountain calls their name. Pretty incredible stuff and I hope Rai Sport does a bang up job on this stage! I'm an American, and this site is both a fan site and a mix of everything to do with pro road women worldwide. I don't know Emma personally but I do know Mara, and all I can say is, "Mara climb Stelvio Pass like you never climbed it before", of course she never has I think, but still, give it your best. To Emma, I say "Good Luck", and we hope to see an incredible show on the Stelvio! In closing before another update, I would say Emma looks so smooth and cool on the bike. She's been around a very long time and she has paid her dues. I remember seeing her crash in the worlds many years ago. Emma has a lot of experience, and with that come confidence. However Mara is no newcomer either, and she's got quite a few notches on her belt as well. What we want as fans is a great display of what the Spanish call Gannas, it's called "Panache" in French, and "Grinta" in Italian, it means the rider has risen to the occasion and delivered something very special under unseemingly adverse conditions. I think we could see some heroic moments on the Stelvio! We will see and this raises the pro road women to a new level of professionalism which hasn't been seen in recent memory. Who's it going to be? Coverage of the top premiere stage race in the world for women has been pretty lame in my opinion. I'm talking about the race reports, the print feed. The videos and photos have been excellent so far, but the serious journalism on the actual race, at least in English has been a dismal failure. I'm not blaming the little sites who try their best to interpret and give the women a slice of the pie, but big sites like CN and Velonews should be doing much better and that goes for British Cycling and Cyclingweekly which seem to be even worse with almost nothing on the race. That's disheartening since they got Emma Pooley in it, the greatest UK rider to come down the pike in a very long time. Her professionalism in bike racing certainly deserves, demands solid coverage. What's worse is I see reported from another source that the Italian Journalists might be going on strike tomorrow at the worst possible moment in the history of women's pro cycling. Out of 365 days of the year, they would have to pick going on strike right at the beginning of stage 8 when this edition of the Women's Giro becomes historic. For crying out loud, does this mean we have to miss video coverage of the Stelvio Pass? God forbid, but it could happen. Of course I'm not sure at all, wait and see but I hope this is not true. That would be totally unacceptable, because this is the first time the Women's Giro has risen to this level of professionalism with it's historic climb of the Stelvio Pass. However there are other problems going on. Emma looks to have lost a fair amount of time in stage 7, and I'm guessing as to what is going on with her. I don't know if she's not feeling well, just had a bad day, or is it tour burnout from winning too many races? I do know she was supposed to pull for Claudia, but worse it appears she too far back now to make up enough ground on Mara Abbott. While my heart is with Mara, I always wanted to see a good fight on the Stelvio between Mara and Emma. Well, all is not lost. Emma could still have two good days in the mountains ahead, and we could see a titanic battle between Emma and Mara. Let's hope Emma rises to the occasion. After all, we did want to know who the best climber in the world is, right? So Emma has to be feeling good for that one to be sorted out. I wish Emma the best, and I hope she is good to go! Congrats to Evelyn Stevens on her solo effort! That was great! USA team appears to be holding up well. Judith Arndt is placed well and could podium. After looking at the damage on the GC today, I don't believe anyone got a shot of knocking Mara off the top spot on the final GC if she's dead on her climbing game. I don't believe Emma can make up any time or at least not much on Mara but I am crossing my fingers that the fans will get some great action from Mara and Emma on Stelvio Pass, and even stage 8 is going to deliver some fireworks. Let's hope the Italian press won't wreck it for the fans with Rai Sport TV, but I do take my hat off to sites like Cicloweb and Ciclonews among others who do a bang up job of coving the Women's Giro. I just wish the Big English print sites would get onboard and really cover this race instead of just focusing on the TDF, but well I am thankful for Rai Sport! Put on your seat belts! More to come... Congrats to Evelyn Stevens on her solo effort in stage 7! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Note: I believe Emma lost her time in stage 7 because she had a flat at the bottom of the climbs, talk about bad luck! I am really sad to hear that. I had heard she was in tears at the end of stage 7, and while others have speculated as to why she lost all that time, it appears to be because of a flat. That seems very unfortunate but that's bike racing. In tours of old if a main contender flatted other top contenders would sometimes wait in sportsmanlike conduct so as not to ruin a tour but make sure it's still a fair fight and not skewed by a puncture. I'm not totally sure about road etiquette in the women's peloton today but I do know that without race radios, riders in front especially in the mountains could be out of contact and well into tactics of the next climb. Like I said, It's very sad that this would happen to one of the world's greatest climbers right at the moment when the big mountain climbs start. It really does seem so unfortunate that a flat can take a rider out of a race, but as one of the most famous cases out there is when Phil Ligget was commenting during the TDF many years ago that it could all be summed up in the heart of Rudy Dhaenens. When he about to win the stage solo, he flatted just before the finish and watched all the other riders pass by and snatch his victory. We will never know if Emma would of been able to win this race since she lost so much time, but it appears now the race is most likely out of her grasp. However it's still possible she could take 2nd on the final GC. I wouldn't normally say that, except catching Mara is probably going to be impossible. However like I said, that doesn't mean that Mara and Emma cannot still deliver a climbing spectacle on the Stelvio. There's been a lot of talk about the Stelvio, and we are still talking about it! I am however mystified about why Cervelo team car or a team-mate were not nearby to lend Emma a wheel. We'll find out more as we go! Mara Abbott in Pink!! Mara Abbott of USA National Team solos in alone on stage 8! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Hey guys and gals! We got a new leader!!!!! I knew it, I knew, I knew it, I knew it!!!!!!!! I woke up this morning thinking I wouldn't get any sleep last night but I did. Ok I did sleep good but when I woke up I was keen to get going as fast as I could, get my morning coffee and go check out Manel tweets, cause he always post the results usually before anyone else. I was almost afraid to click on it! You ever had a link you were afraid to click on? Well, I finally did and bingo!!! There it was, Mara in pink!!!!!!!!! Mara in pink!!!!!!!! Mara Abbott of USA National Team solos in alone on stage 8! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. I was so thrilled, and kudos to Mara, she has worked so hard for so many years now!!! I predicted that it would be Mara and Emma alone at the end of stage 8, but it wasn't a huge secret. I think people knew it was a good bet that Mara and Emma will rise to the top in stage 8! Of course I am very happy for Mara, and from the photos Manel posted on his tweets, Mara looks ecstatic! I'm not sure how Emma feels, but hey, without Emma would we really be that happy? It's because of the duality that we have these two great superb climbers to contest this climbers edition that makes it so exciting! One without the other would not be a race, and from the short details, it appears Mara and Emma were alone after 50km!! Also it appears Mara soloed home alone in the last 3km!! Now, just the Stelvio to come!! Let's hope Rai Sport still picks it up, although I read that the Italian Journalists might be on strike! However tomorrow will be a special rare treat! Mara and Emma will more then likely go off the front, and go toe to toe with each other on the biggest climb ever in the history of the Women's Giro!! Even if Emma is behind because of that flat, she could still give us a great show and perhaps we can know who the greatest climber in the world is today! Ok, I said it, but I didn't mean it so forcefully. They are both great climbers but who is the better climber? In private, some are saying perhaps Mara Abbott is truly the world's greatest climber. I don't know, but if both riders are climbing free of any commitments at the end of this tour, there is really no reason there can't be a showdown on the Stelvio. While the Stelvio won't prove conclusively who is the world's greatest climber, at least we can come away with perhaps a good idea. However this is some solace in the fact that both are superb, and a big asset to women's pro cycling worldwide! Podium on Stage 8! Judith Arndt, Mara Abbott and Emma Pooley!! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Stay Tuned!! Mara wins on the Stelvio!! Podium on Stage 8! Mara Abbott alone solo on Stelvio Pass!! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Mara Abbott soloed in alone on the Stelvio Pass after breaking away from Emma Pooley! To recap a bit, Mara and Emma were together in stage 8 until it appears the end of Passo Bernina summit. It was reported Mara dropped Emma and went on to climb the Forcola solo. Emma's descending skills are not as good as Mara's, and I believe it was reported elsewhere that Emma lost time to Mara on the descent. Watch Mara Abbott break away from Emma Pooley on the Stelvio! In stage 9 Mara broke away from Emma on the climb and then soloed in alone. What's cool about this is that instead of just accepting what's written in the race reports, go watch the videos below posted for Rai Sport. In stage 9, they actually show Mara breaking away from Emma, but Emma did not respond. Also it appears Emma at some point left Claudia and went on to climb with Mara as expected. I looked at the time gaps and did a little math, and it doesn't appear Emma would of bested Mara in this tour even if she did not have that flat. However it would of been much closer, and Emma probably would of podium 2nd place on the final GC, if not for the flat. Podium on Stage 9! Judith Arndt, Mara Abbott and Emma Pooley!! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. If you notice Judith Arndt is still a very good climber, always was! She's a big rider, but she's powerful! Emma Pooley did not disappoint and Mara and Emma gave us the show we were expecting. They went toe to toe on the Stelvio, and Mara came out the victor! This proves at least for now, and for this race that Mara Abbott is the greatest climber in the world today, but it's a fluid thing, volatile. I'm not saying it's an absolute fact, we don't really know 100 percent that's a fact, as more showdowns like this would be needed to really nail it down, but everyone I talked too including those that were at the race believes Mara is the better climber and in private, people are whispering that Mara is the best! Podium on Stage 9! Mara Abbott is Queen of the Mountains!! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Note: Emma Pooley won the mountains classification, but Mara won the Stelvio and the race! If you watch the videos, it's quite clear that Marianne Vos and Tatiana Guderzo also climbed well. Evelyn Stevens rode a good race, and I think HTC can be happy with Teutenberg 4 stage wins, and with Judith Arndt making the final podium! While I did write about how race reports are not very good, I think we can be happy overall with the awesome videos that were posted through Youtube. That really gave up insight into the race, and with all the great photos out there with people Davide Ronconi and others, we got a nice glimpse inside this historic edition of the Giro de Italia Femminile. Podium on Stage 9! Mara Abbott Celebrates, just the final stage to come!! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Well, it's been fun guys and gals! For me, the race ended on the Stelvio Pass yesterday. I worked hard on the pre race write-up and I was rewarded with a tour I will never forget. Not only did we get great photos and videos, but Mara Abbott rode her heart out for the fans! I want to congratulate Mara personally, and I can understand this great personal chemistry with the mountains as I was also a great climber. When the mountain calls your name, you must go and go fast, fly like an eagle and embrace the stars! Being a specialist climber is a journey like no other, and we know the great ones who climbed down through history! Luperini, Brandli, Pucinskaite, Somaribba to name a few, and while Luperini is the greatest climber of all times, Mara Abbott has really proved and earned her spot in the history books! Mara Abbott is a superb athlete, and I think she has brought women's pro road racing to a new height and glory. I wish her the best, and many happy climbs to come! To Emma I say thank you very much for a great show, cause without you there would be no contest, no glory in the mountains. Thanks to the USA team for helping Mara all along the way, and I hope Amber Neben is ok and makes a full recovery after her crash. To everyone who finished this historic edition, my hat goes off to you, as everyone proved their salt! Great race, the best in many years!! Footnote: Mara Abbott becomes the first American to win the Giro Donne! Wrap-up!! Mara Abbott after winning stage 8, Kudos!! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. In conclusion I have to say it was pretty good race overall. Ina Teutenberg tied Regina Schleicher record of 4 back to back Giro stage wins and that's a nice going away present. Marianne Vos wins two stages and that's a good prize for her. Mara Abbott becomes the first American to win the Giro, and plus it's a historic climbers special edition and what could better then that? The fact that she got to climb with the other greatest climber in the world Emma Pooley makes it all that more special! Icing on the cake is USA National Team member Shelly Evans wins the sprint finish at Monza in the final stage 10! Shelly Evans wins stage 10! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Shelly Evans is proving in a very short time that she is one of the world's best sprinters. Even against Ina Teutenberg like at the spring classics, almost a photo finish! Shelly is a powerhouse, and likely to become the best US sprinter. If she gets into the final sprint in the world road championships, look out!! Classic Portrait - Emma Pooley and Mara Abbott! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Let me close up and provides some facts, some interesting points and some speculation. I believe Mara Abbott and Emma Pooley gave us the best they could, all things considered. I do believe Mara was dead on, in form, very focused and I have to give credit to a very talented USA team including Amber Neben, Shelly Evans, Amanda Miller, Carmen Smalls, Sinead Miller, Alison Starnes and Theresa Cliff-Ryan. I had read an interview in Italian and if I am correct, Mara had prepared with USA team for this race in Italy. I believe if I read it correctly that she climbed the Stelvio 4 times in preparation, so that is intense! Obviously Mara performance on the Stelvio was stellar, one for the record books. She said she had conserved as much as possible in the early stages and saved herself for the mountains to come. Mara said in the interview that she made her mark in the first selection at Maloja Pass, the first major climb of stage 8. Mara said that she and Emma were together on Bernina, but that she was able to lose Emma on the descent. It's known that Emma Pooley is not a good descender. Marianne Vos, Mara Abbott, Tatiana Guderzo and Emma Pooley! Four great riders of our current generation! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Mara said that Emma held a high pace on Stelvio but that Emma could not increase her pace. When Mara took flight, Emma was not able to follow as you saw in the video. Mara said that while the team can carry you through the flat stages, in the mountains you are all alone on the climbs and it is up to you to show what you are worth. Indeed she did! Mara states she has been the rival of utmost respect, meaning all the pro women know she is extremely dangerous in the mountains. I had heard from someone who was at the Gila, and they said she set a blistering pace in the mountains. Mara said she feared Emma on the climbs, but that you have to count Emma among the favorites. She said even Judith Arndt had equal experience and recovery. It's true that Arndt was/is still a good climber and can't be ruled out. Mara went on to say she did feel Emma was not at 100 percent, and that even Claudia Hausler did not seem extremely fit. This tour is specially suited to my characteristics says Mara, and that the climbs were hard and that is where I am comfortable . I liked it said Mara, rarely is racing so hard and so selective. "I congratulate those who organized and prepared the tour. Tomorrow I will keep the pink jersey to devote myself to my team and the USA." HTC veteran Judith Arndt, Mara Abbott and World Champion Tatiana Guderzo! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. Mara pays a salute to Amber Neben who just returned from hospital with a broken collarbone. Mara gives a greeting, and so ends one of the most beautiful days of cycling with an American woman on the roof of the world. I had also wondered about Emma's condition leading into this tour. She said in an interview with British Cycling that she was fully dedicated to working for Claudia to win this tour, and that left me extremely perplexed. Could it be that Cervelo had not realized the significance of this tour? They had known since the beginning of the year that this would be an historic climbing edition, and had plenty of time to build their calendar around it. Did Cervelo and Emma decide that the other world cup classics were better overall targets to win then putting all their cookies in one jar for this tour? I don't know. I do know if Emma wanted to peak for this tour, she could of. Maybe she's not off peak, but maybe Emma just did not have a good tour. Maybe between team loyalties and who would be best to win this tour something got lost in the equation. I don't know, but while it appears Emma either wasn't up to 100 percent of didn't give 100 percent, it was a good show. If Emma had not of flatted I am pretty sure she might of fought very hard for a podium position. There were a number of things that didn't seem to work in Cevelo favor in this tour, but we as fans got what we came for. Emma and Mara gave us a good show on the Stelvio. The Champagne and fanfare of the final Podium Celebration! Image Courtesy of Davide Ronconi. While it appears Mara Abbott is the world's greatest climber, who knows, maybe we will see Emma and Mara fight on another day in another climbers edition! I will say what other fans have echoed and that is we sincerely hope race promoters worldwide will have more special climbing editions for the climbers. Not just for Mara and Emma but for all climbers, because the fans love the chemistry of the mountains and it always makes a good show. Having two great climbers is what made this race great, it takes TWO to tango! We also hope more specialist climbers will appear on the scene and we could even have a threesome like Brandli, Luperini and Somarriba. Well, it's been fun, and I suppose everyone is already looking forward to the World Championships! Recap all photos and videos below, updated total overall!! Post Note: I would like to thank Davide Ronconi for his fantastic work in the field working as a photo-journalist for the Giro Donne. I met Davide many years ago and he was already a big fan of women's cycling. We started our websites on women's cycling at the exact same time, and both of us have been working to bring a better level of attention and awareness of pro road women's cycling to the public at large both in Europe and the USA. I think Davide is clearly one of the best in the field today working the races in Europe. After sending him the head's up on the pre race writeup, the game was afoot, and we worked together to bring you this edition of the Giro Donne. I hope it was as wonderful for you as it was for us. Mara's cool website! Sign Mara's Guestbook! Song for Mara, Salute and Cheers! More: A few after thoughts. I think if you ask anyone a few years from now about if you remember the headlines, "Mara in Pink", everyone will say they do, "yeah, I remember that!" When Mara won stage 8, it was quickly spread around every cycling mag and headline on the Internet, everywhere you went, it was "Mara in Pink"!! I think of course out of respect for the Maglia Rosa that is was reported at least once as the "Maglia Rosa", and of course in Italy it would be as the classic connotation, but in English print, it was always the bold headliner as "Mara in Pink"!! Nice way to be remembered, do you remember "Mara in Pink"? Yup, sure do, that was ah, the 2010 Giro Donne!! Cheers!