Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Live coverage

Good morning and welcome to our live race text coverage from Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2021.

We are going to be providing live text coverage from round two of the Women’s WorldTour and we'll be here throughout the race. Right now riders are gathering on the start line with the start set for around 10 minutes from now. While you're getting settled have a read of Simone Giuliani's excellent race preview, which is right here.

Now is also a great time to bookmark our dedicated women's race page. You'll find news, races reports, tech and much more right here.

Of course this race didn't take part last year due to COVID, so our last winner is Vos back in 2019 and she returns but as part of the women's Jumbo Visma team. The route is 141.8 kilometre and it's up and down all day with climbs throughout the race. 

The queen of the mountain points come at Caldana just 18 kilometres in, at Cunardo at 44.5 kilometres, and on each of the four final laps at the top of the climb to Orino.

Cocquio - Caldana - Orino, 3.84km at 3 per cent

Grantola - Cunardo, 3.85km at 4.8 per cent

Comacchio - Orino, 1.5km at 6.3 per cent

Cuvio - Orino, 3.9km at 3.9 per cent

Casalzuigno, 0.84km at 7 per cent

We're just about two minutes away from the roll out and all the riders are on the start line and read to race. If you need to catch up on the first women's WT race of the season, then you can read all about an incredible edition of Strade Bianche, right here. 

Perfect race conditions out there today with blue skies and very little wind. It's going to be a really demanding race though, it's such a tough course with very little let up. We'll look at the favourites once the race settles down and we have a break up the road. 

And we're racing! The riders first have a 27km ride to Cittiglio before taking on one 44 km loop followed by four 17 km laps. 

We need to talk about Sarah Gigante, the Australian sensation who is over here for her first European race of the season. We shouldn't put too much pressure on her shoulders but it will be fascinating to see how she goes today. We spoke to her last week, and here's what she had to say.

No attacks of note in these very early stages. 

130km to go

Plenty to early attacks but nothing has stuck yet. We've had our first intermediate sprint of the day though and Tanja Erath (TIBCO) has taken that.

Vos starts with the number one on her back as the last winner of the race. She's only raced two days so far this season but has been top ten in both outings. She took seventh in Strade and was on the attack at several points in that race. She has decent support around her but Jumbo Visma are not the strongest team in the race. 

Strade Bianche winner Chantal van den Broek-Blaak is here with SD Worx and they've been on fire since the start of the season. No Van der Breggen in their ranks today but they've still got a really competitive team and the've already taken five wins this season, including Omloop, Strade and two stages of the Healthy Ageing Tour. They're the team to beat. 

After finishing second in Strade Bianche, the American team Trek Segafedo will be hungry for a WorldTour win. They have Longo Borghini and Deignan in their ranks. The British rider was off the pace in Omloop but will be looking to kick-start her season here. She's won this race twice during her career - in 2015 and 2016.

124km to go

124km to go and we're tackling the first climb of the day. The pace remains high but the bunch remains intact. 

114km to go

Still no break from the peloton but that's partly because the pace was so high early on. 

Heading towards the final 100km of the race and it's currently Liv-Racing and Jumbo Visma on the front setting the pace.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig is near the front right now. She's leading a really competitive team here for FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope. The Dane is still searching for her first WorldTour win but she was in good form at Strade Bianche, taking fifth on the line.

Bastianelli has just taken the intermediate sprint at and she's carried on and clipped off the front with Silvia Zanardi. The pair have 15 seconds over the peloton.

100km to go

The mini-break has been caught and we're all together as we start the Cunardo climb. 

Liv have been trying to set things up for some time and they've just fired Paulien Rooijakkers up the road. 

She's using the climb to perfectly create a gap and right now her advantage is at 18 seconds. Nice move from the Liv-Racing rider.

95km to go

Paulien Rooijakkers managed to put 20 seconds into the bunch but she's been caught and now French rider Audrey Cordon has jumped clear. That's the first real move we've seen from Trek Segafredo but it's a really strong one.

Audrey Cordon has eight seconds on the bunch but no one wants the Trek rider to go clear (other than her teammates) and her attack has sparked a wave of counter attacks. The race is well and truly on. 

The Trek Segafredo rider has been caught so with just over 90km to go, we're all back together again. 

90km to go

90km to go and the peloton is still as one.

With the race back together we're about to hit the Orino climb. It's 1.5km in length and has an average gradient of 6.5 per cent - so the perfect place for a powerful attack. 

Just over 80km to go.

We've raced through Caldana and the race is still altogether. 

Marlen Reusser and Marta Jaskulska are the next riders to have a go but the pair are quickly brought back with 70km to go. The pace is so high right now that as soon as a gap is created it's closed almost immediately. We need a lull in pace for an attack to stick. 70km go as we start the first of our four finishing circuits. 

Anna Shackley has a flat but she's quickly back in the bunch after a chase. She's riding alongside her teammate Ashleigh Moolman Pasio.

The riders have covered just under 80km of the race and the peloton is settling in on the first of four final circuits. No attacks at this point after a lively last hour.

A timely reminder to check out our ten riders to watch piece from a couple of days ago. It's just here.

Liv have been on the attack all day and they're at it again with Jeanne Korevaar clipping off the front. This one has been quickly closed down to though.

Rooijakkers and Tatiana Guderzo have now gone clear with just over 60km to go and the pair have 25 seconds. That's the biggest gap any break has had so far today. 

Movistar and Trek have riders on the front of the bunch setting a tempo for now.

There is a bit of wind out there at the moment but it's nothing too strong as the sun continues to beat down on the peloton.

The two leaders, Guderzo (Ale) and Rooijakkers (Liv) have 26 seconds over the peloton. 

54km to go and Guderzo (Ale) and Rooijakkers (Liv) are holding their advantage at just under 30 seconds. We've three laps to go.

Each lap is just over 17km in length as we head into the second of four final circuits. The two leaders, Guderzo (Ale) and Rooijakkers (Liv), have 48 seconds of a lead over the main field. 

45km to go

45km to go and we're on the Orino climb. The two leaders have 30 seconds over the peloton as they start to chase down the break.

It's the Liv rider who is doing most of the work but the SD Worx have reduced the gap to just a handful of seconds. Incredible chase from that team right now as they're about to catch the break. 

The two leaders look back and they can see Cromwell from Canyon leading the chase. 44km to go and the race is about to come back together once again. 

Saying that, there's a bit of a lull on the climb and that's allowed the two leaders to hang on for just a bit longer. The gap is about 6 seconds. In terms of distance, about 45 Nissan Notes. 

Several teams have riders on the front but no real sign of Vos or her team just yet as we continue to climb. There are about 40 riders left in the main field.

The gap is 9 seconds and now there's an attack. Several attacks. Here we go. 43km to go . It's a rider from FDJ. 

It looks like Canyon are leading the chase as the FDJ rider looks back to see if anyone will follow her. It's Marta Cavalli. I interviewed her! Read the story right here. Then tell ten friends about it, and then ask them to tell ten friends about it.

Cavalli has made it to the leaders so we have the rider from FDJ, and Guderzo (Ale) and Rooijakkers (Liv). As we see Cordon try and bridge over on the descent. 41km to go. 

The leading trio have nine seconds on the peloton with Cordon stuck in the middle. Audrey Cordon looks great and she's going to make it a break of four in moment. Poweful ride from the Trek athlete.

And Movistar are leading the chase as we dip into the final 40km of the race. And now Jumbo and Canyon want in on the action. They can't give a rider like Audrey Cordon or Marta Cavalli a gap on a course like this. The leading quartet have 6 seconds.

Canyon and DSM are pulling the peloton to pieces on the descent and the gap is at five seconds as we see wave after wave of attacks from the  main field. This is going to come back together. 

35km to go and the peloton is back as one but Cordon continues to set a furious pace.

35km to go. Two laps to go.

There's a slight split in the bunch after that intermediate sprint and once more it's Liv who go on the attack. There's a Canyon rider there too with a group of five.

Alena Amialiusik and Sofia Bertizzolo are two of the riders in the front group.

The leaders are Alena Amialiusik, Anouska Koster, Marlen Reusser,  Alison Jackson and Katia Ragusa.

That move has been nullified though and only the Jumbo rider is left, and leading the race.

Anouska Koster has 6 seconds with 31km to go.

Anouska Koster has a flat section now to try and extend her lead but Ale are leading the chase, being marked by Canyon.

Anouska Koster is about to be caught with 29km to go. 

Hannah Barnes then takes off and she's marked by Wiles and the rest of the bunch close in too. All back together with 28km to go.

Great move from Cromwell. She's got a good gap almost immediately. 

We start to climb again and Cromwell has a decent enough gap and it's Winder who responds by setting the pace. Garica is front and centre too.

Winder has brought back Cromwell with 26km to go. 

And Wiles attacks for Trek immediately with 27km to go. 

The Trek rider can't break free from the peloton but she strings out the entire bunch. Attack from Canyon.

Katarzyna Niewiadoma goes first but Longo Borghini comes over the top and she has a gap. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig is chasing her down.

Really strong attack from the Italian national champion and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig  is cracking a bit. 25km to go and Longo Borghini is clear.

Vos is leading a chase group of four behind the Trek rider with the gap at about 6 seconds as we continue to climb. 

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Vos, Garcia and one more rider are in the chase group but Longo Borghini goes over the top with just under 25km to go. It's touch and go right now.

Five riders in the chase group now. Soraya Paladin is there too.

The gap is only 7 seconds and there's no plan B for Trek right now in the chase group. 

Soraya Paladin, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Vos, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Garcia make up the chase group but Borghini has 8 seconds with 22km to go.

It's SD Worx who are leading the chase from the main field.

All in for Longo Borghini at this point with 20km to go but she can't build on her lead at this point.

The Trek rider has found a couple more seconds with some great riding. The gap is 11 seconds.

The main field are at 34 seconds but it looks like SD Worx are out of this as things stand.

Even though the five chasers are working well together the gap is up to 15 seconds with 18km to go.

One lap to go. The gap is at 16 seconds.

The impetus has started to drop from the chase group, it seems and the gap is now out to 24 seconds. Trek won yesterday in Milan-San Remo but are they about to close out a dream weekend and win here too?

Longo Borghini is climbing again and this is where the race is going be decided. 15km to go and the gap is 25 seconds.

She checks back down the road and even though the break are swapping turns they're not bringing the Italian rider back. 27 seconds now.

Vos accelerates with 14.4km to go but the gap is now 28 seconds.

Garcia is struggling a bit.

On the descent and now back onto rolling roads with just one more climb to come. 25 seconds is the gap.

Vos is doing most of the chasing but the 2019 winner can't make any inroads into the lead. In fact it's now up to 30 seconds.

The road goes up again for the final climb of the race and Longo Borghini has 31 seconds with 9.9km to go.

It's on Vos to lead the chase and while she's getting some help these riders are starting to think about second and third as Borghini has 37 seconds wiith 9km to go.

Vos goes again but the gap is now at 50 seconds. Game over, surely. 

The Italian champion is almost at the top of the Orino climb with 7.9km to go. 

The gap was holding at 7 seconds but Longo Borghini has just ground down the five chasers with each pedal stroke. It's been so impressive. Over the top of the climb and 7.1km to go. 

The five chasers can't mess about because the peloton are less than a minute down.

Vos just drifts to the back of the group. She'll smoke the rest of them in a sprint but there are a few attacks.

4.2km to go for Longo Borghini. She has 57 seconds. 

Inside the final 2km for Longo Borghini. 

Vos is on the front of the chase but she's waiting to be attacked. She knows it's coming. 

Elisa Longo Borghini wins the 2021 edition of Trofeo Alfredo Binda.

Here come the chase group and it's Vos in second and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig in third.

You can find our report, results and photos, right here.