Sarah Van Dam powers to podium in dramatic Giro dell’Appennino finish

What a race! Victoria’s Sarah Van Dam came within striking distance of her first major one-day victory on Sunday, a day after Sanremo Donne. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider took third in a nutty conclusion to the Giro dell’Appennino. It was a selective and tactical race over 111 km from Novi Ligure to Genoa, but with a bit of a twist.

The 24-year-old Canuck was part of a decisive six-rider move that formed toward the end. The race began somewhat chill, until the mood ignited on the Passo dei Giovi before splitting further on the Livellato climb. Van Dam’s Visma- Lease a Bike forced the pace and thinned the peloton.

Sarah van Dam so close once again in Oz

A late acceleration by Silvia Persico and Célia Gery was the move of the day, with Van Dam bridging across alongside Viktória Chladoňová, Niamh Fisher-Black and Lucinda Brand. Some big names.

The group worked together into Genoa, setting up a sprint for the win. Perfect for SVD.

However, the finale took an unexpected turn when Chladoňová, leading the group inside the final kilometre, veered off course at a roundabout. That left five riders to contest the dub. (Also, this kinda seems to be a trend lately? At Strade Bianche half the peloton went off course, and at Milan-San Remo, the early break went the wrong way. Anywho, Persico proved fastest on the line, with Brand second and Van Dam rounding out the podium. Another good result for Van Dam, but she still wants that first win.

“Unfortunately, I just missed out on my first victory, but I learned a lot from this race,” Van Dam said. “We can look back on a strong team performance… I gave it everything today and I’m proud of our collective performance.”

Visma’s DS Jan Boven praised the execution of the race plan. “Our plan was to stay patient early and then strike on the climbs,” he said. “The riders executed that perfectly… Sarah delivered a strong sprint, but Persico was simply the fastest today.”

Van Dam continues to impress in the pro peloton. At Sanremo Donne, she was caught up in that brutal crash–but thankfully was OK, and still managed to be in the mix. Expect a big win from her this season–she’s been oh-so-close and eventually, the numbers game will prove right.