Swinkels fastest in three-rider sprint at Trofeo Alfredo Binda

Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) sprinted to victory from a group of three at the end of an attritional edition of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the oldest race on the Women's WorldTour calendar. 

The Dutch rider found herself clear with Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx Protime) and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility) inside the final kilometre after the trio had formed part of a six-rider group that went clear with 20km remaining, and were the last riders standing. 

It was the Norwegian champion Ottestad who led out the sprint, before Swinkels dashed in front, with Van der Breggen in the slipstream. However, Swinkels had too much power and speed for Van der Breggen to pass, meaning that the 27-year-old was able to claim the biggest victory of her career. 

Van der Breggen had to settle for second, while Ottestad took third. Meanwhile, Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) was the quickest from the chasing pack at 47 seconds behind. 

For Swinkels, it's the ninth victory of her career, and the first at the Women's WorldTour level. 

The UAE Team ADQ rider had already been victorious in 2026, after winning the Trofeo Binissalem-Andratx in Mallorca at the start of January, before taking sixth at Omloop Nieuwsblad and second at the Trofeo Oro behind her teammate Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ).

The route was altered overnight due to snow, with the opening climb, Masciago Primo, being removed, and slashing the overall distance to 146km.

Hannah Ludwig (Cofidis) was the sole rider in the early breakaway, and the German was swept up by the peloton with around 60km remaining in the race.

The first major move came with 40km remaining from Elisa Longo Borghini, with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) and Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) responding, and in turn saw the peloton continue to whittle in size with a chasing pack forming behind. 

UAE Team ADQ were one of the most well-represented teams in the front group of around 25 riders and took charge of controlling the pace. However, the second group managed to regain contact with the front with 33km remaining.

Onto Casale with 32km remaining, Niewiadoma pushed the pace, with the World Champion Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly) well-placed in the wheel.

With 28km remaining, Maud Oudeman (Visma | Lease a Bike) attacked and was clear for a brief spell before being caught as the riders reached the Orino climb. Longo Borghini tried once more on the climb and was followed by Niewiadoma and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) 

The attack stretched the pack out and saw some initial splits, while there was a crash over the top of the climb for Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco).

Following the descent, a group of six formed with 20km remaining, featuring Karlijn Swinkels, Silvia Persico, and Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ), Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL), Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility).

With 15km to go, Van der Breggen pushed on at the front, which saw Gasparrini and Persico distanced. 

They passed through the bell lap with an advantage of 10 seconds over a second chase group, before a larger chase pack was another 10 seconds back.

Georgi was distanced from the front group with 10km remaining on the Orino climb, as the gap from the front group to the peloton led by the World Champion was 40 seconds.

Van der Breggen continued to turn the screw over the next couple of kilometres, with only Swinkels able to remain in the wheel.

With 5km remaining on the descent, Ottestad returned to the front duo and immediately tried to attack clear, but was marked.

The trio could play games inside the closing kilometres with a gap of nearly 1 minute over the chasing pack, and it was Van der Breggen who gambled first by no longer taking a turn. Ottestad was the rider who was at the front under the flamme rouge and would have to lead the sprint out.

In the sprint, it was Swinkels who opened up an advantage with Van der Breggen locking onto the wheel, but the former two-time world champion couldn't get past, meaning Swinkels took a significant victory.