Nicole Braendli is the champion of the 16th Giro d'Italia Femminile. The Swiss athlete, already winner of the same race both in the days of 2001 and 2003 (while the 2004 edition was won by Nicole Cooke, is there an unwritten law keeping contenders with a different first name from winning ? hmmm ...) comfortably held onto her leadership in Sunday's eighth and final stage, an easy ride of 100 km. from Varese to downtown Milan, with a few laps of a final urban circuit and the finishing line situated in Corso Sempione, in front of the Italian TV local HQs.

The action got started under cloudy skies, that turned (quite) sunny as the race made it to Italy's second largest city, at midday. The bunch took it easy for the first half of the parcours, but upped the tempo around the km. 50 point, with the speed going over 45 km/h, and the Bianchi-Aliverti team keeping the pace high to avoid any attacks. Even though it was an athlete from the same celeste squad, Italy's own Luisa Tamanini, who made the first significant move of the day in the third lap of the Milan circuit, along with U.S. National Team rider Laura Van Gilder as well as Australian Lorian Graham. The leading trio gained up to fifteen seconds, with Tamanini and Van Gilder working well together, and the Aussie a bit less active, but they all were brought back by the Boubnenkova-led field (with another Aussie, Oenone Wood, in second wheel) during the following lap.

Giro d'Italia winner Nicole Braendli on the eventual podium.

Nothing worthy of particular mention took place in the last two laps, with the sprinters teams like Nobili Rubinetterie, Chirio Forno d’Asolo and PMB Fenixs riding tempo, and setting things up for a mass sprint. Which came and saw Italian Giorgia "Petacchi" Bronzini of Chirio Forno d'Asolo tell us - once more - who has got