Kim Le Court Dominates San Luca and Claims Giro dell'Emilia Donne Victory

Kimberley Le Court has claimed victory at the Giro dell'Emilia Donne 2025. The Mauritian rider, representing AG Insurance-Soudal, proved to be the strongest on the final ascent of San Luca. Niamh Fisher-Black finished second, just like at the recent World Championships, while Yara Kastelijn took third place.

We can talk about a busy race Saturday. Not only at the European Championships in the Ardèche, but also in Italy, numerous top riders lined up today for a challenging one-day race. Late in the afternoon, attention was on the battle between Primoz Roglic and Isaac Del Toro on San Luca, while earlier in the day it was time for the Giro dell'Emilia Donne covering over 126 kilometers.

With riders like Kimberley Le Court and vice-world champion Niamh Fisher-Black at the start, the finale promised to be highly exciting. Emphasis on finale, as the approach to the last 30 kilometers was completely flat. No wonder it took a long time before the pace really ramped up. Only in the lead-up to the penultimate climb did a duo of riders try to break away from the peloton.

A boring opening phase
It was Dutch rider Quinty Ton (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Italian Irene Cagnazzo (BePink-Imatra-Bongioanni) who, after the day’s first climb, the Monte Calvo (4.2 km at 5.5%), held a lead of just over a minute. In the peloton, it was the Movistar women who set the chase pace, working for Cat Ferguson.

Before we would know who would succeed Elisa Longo Borghini, only two climbs of the San Luca (2.1 km at 10%) remained. For the brave attacking duo, the race was over on the approach to the first passage of this leg crusher. At the top of that first San Luca ascent, the bell signaled the start of a short final lap, with the reduced peloton of favorites still together.

Break in the peloton
Surprisingly, there was no wait for the final climb. On the ramp leading to San Luca, the peloton split in two. Up front, a group of fifteen riders formed, including newly crowned world champion Magdeleine Vallieres, Fisher-Black, Kastelijn and Le Court. These fifteen riders began the final climb with a margin of around twenty seconds.

But they watched each other more than they looked behind. And that proved the right decision, as the strongest women were at the front. In the end, it was Le Court who triumphed. The Mauritian woman was the fastest atop San Luca. Fisher-Black had to settle for second place again, just like at the World Championships in Rwanda. Kastelijn managed an impressive third place.