World champion Annemiek van Vleuten retained her Giro d’Italia Donne title on Sunday in her closing look on the race, main from begin to end to clinch victory for the fourth time. The 40-year-old went into the ninth and final stage with a lead of almost 4 minutes over France’s Juliette Labous and completed safely within the bunch in Olbia, northern Sardinia.

“This is the second one with Movistar, and I’m super proud of my team to finish it off,” mentioned the defending champion, who is because of retire on the finish of this season. Labous was runner-up whereas Italy’s Gaia Realini completed third general.

Van Vleuten, who additionally received the race in 2018 and 2019, turned the Giro’s oldest stage winner when she triumphed within the second stage aged 40 years and 266 days for her one centesimal profession victory to take the maglia rosa. The opening time trial scheduled for June 30 was cancelled on account of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

“Now it’s time to recharge the batteries and prepare for the Tour de France,” Van Vleuten mentioned. The Tour de France Femmes will set off from Clermont Ferrand on July 23, the identical day the boys’s race finishes in Paris.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)