Giro Donne 2023 Stage 2 Live - Can Annemiek van Vleuten take her 100th professional victory on the first uphill test?

“I think it’s my 100th victory from the UCI, so it's a really special one and especially in my favourite country to race, together with Spain I have to say. Italy in the Giro, my favourite race, wow it’s unbelievable," Van Vleuten said delighted with her victory during her interview.

“I didn't know how my legs were because I went to altitude and usually Livigno is where I recharge myself and I usually come back really strong. Today was the first test and I think Livigno did it’s work again.

"Of course, it’s my last season and my last Giro d’Italia, so it's super nice to wear the pink jersey again.”

It's a quite remarkable and typical Van Vleuten performance to take her 100th professional victory. She's taken the first Maglia Rosa in her pursuit of both back-to-back titles and a fourth overall win at the Italian Grand Tour.

She's done it in the rainbow jersey as World Champion and by a margin of 0:45 seconds over some of the best riders in the world. Incredible ride.

100 wins for the World Champion. Another incredible accolade to add to the hundreds she has already captured. It's a sham we weren't able to see her attack on the final climb, but we saw how strong she was to hold off the chasers in the downhill finish.

Uttrup Ludwig took second for FDJ-Suez with Juliette Labous in third. They also took the remaining bonus seconds.

The World Champion has made her early statement at the Giro Donne and taken the first Maglia Rosa. Will anyone be able to take it off her throughout the week? The group behind haven't had the legs or firepower to dent Van Vleuten's lead.

Longo Borghini is working hard in the descent and is trying to motivate the rest of the chasers as they pursue a flying Van Vleuten in front. Her gap is now time stamped at 42 seconds as she tries to extract every bit of power from her legs.

A large chasing group is approaching the two chasers with an opportunity to catch up the Van Vleuten, should they all work well together. Longo Borghini has come straight to the front on aid of Realini and has started to swap turns with the multiple FDJ SUEZ riders who have joined Cavalli.

The last posted time gap was 28 seconds so a proper collaboration could reel back Van Vleuten.

The World Champion is descending nicely and maintaining her 30+ second lead out in front. Realini is struggling to stay on Cavalli's wheel in the faster sections, of course not helped by being such a small rider.

It would be the century of wins for AvV if she can make it to the line alone.

We've finally got live pictures back! The World Champion is alone on the descent and she has the young Italian duo of Marta Cavalli (FDJ SUEZ) and Realini chasing her together. They must've been the strongest three on the climb.

The Dutch rider's gap increased as they approached the top of the climb, but she has a very long and technical descent to contend with if she is to arrive at the finish line alone.

Time gaps aren't perfect, but Longo Borghini may have been able to employ her expert descending skills to close the gap to the World Champion on the descent.

With no live images, there has been a report of an attack from the Trek duo of Longo Borghini and Realini, with Van Vleuten chasing them down on the climb.

The World Champion is now said to have attacked with a leading gap of 14 seconds as it stands.

We've lost live images of the riders on the climb for now, due to a thunderstorm. This Giro just cannot catch a break with the weather. Marty MacDonald on commentary has said that over race radio the group was reported to still be somewhat together with Canyon SRAM pushing the pace.

The uber-experienced domestique is keeping the likes of Longo Borghini, Realini and Van Anrooij safe at the front of the peloton.

Van Vleuten ominously moves to the front of the peloton in her World Champion's rainbow jersey.

The former World Champion had her hand up, indicating usually some sort of mechanical issue, and is now absent from the Lidl-Trek train on the left side of the road.

Mendez and Andersen's gap is now under the minute mark and they should be reeled in on the lower sloped of the climb.

It's not what they would've wanted after yesterday's horrid rain, but it is beginning to fall heavily once again as they near the bottom of the climb. Backsetdt has even had to remove her sunglasses for visibility.

The leading duo's gap out in front is now only 1:43.

The gap to the leading duo is now only at 2:11 as the peloton begin to go uphill. Its heating up in the peloton as all the teams try to position their leaders at the front.

On the weather front, the riders have hit a section where it is raining, but we've just seen some images of the finish in Marradi that show a sunny day is set to greet the riders. After the near biblical rain yesterday, it will be a treat. Hopefully the rain won't affect the descent on the other side of the climb too adversely.

It's time to get your climbers in position. Both Franziska Koch (DSM-Firmenich) and Elynor Backstedt (Lidl-Trek) have hit the front in aid of their respective leaders/climbers.

Trek have Longo Borghini and young star Gaia Realini ready to pounce, while DSM are working for French star Juliette Labous.

The Dutch squad that have dominated much of the 2023 calendar are showing themselves at the head of the peloton as they start to approach the final and only categorised climb of the day.

They've come to the Giro with a younger squad that doesn't include headline stars Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser, but it does seem as though they are riding to put Niamh Fisher-Black (SD Worx) in a good position before the final climb. The Kiwi finished fifth overall in last year's Giro and has looked great throughout 2023 so far.

The break are set to take the full points and the few bonus seconds that are gained at the intermediate sprint into Borgo San Lorenzo. The two riders who were dangling in between the break and the peloton have now been caught, leaving only Mendez and Norwegian national road race champion Andersen 3:11 out in front.

With the peloton now, depite chasing the break, settling in before the final climb, we can take a look at some of the favourites for today's stage. Van Vleuten can never be counted out when there is a long climb on the stage, even though she hasn't been quite as dominant throughout this, her final season before retirement.

She'll want to make the stage as hard as possible and if she has the form, will keep attacking to try and get rid of her rivals before the final descent. She's often been besten by Demi Vollering (SD Worx) this season, however, the Dutch superstar hasn't taken the start at this Giro and is instead waiting for the Tour de France Femmes at the end of the month.

Alongside Van Vleuten will be teammate Liane Lippert (Movistar) who could also fight for the victory, Dutch compatriot Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) and her teammate Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek). It will be a big test of who can survive over the final climb and save something for a possible reduced bunch sprint.

Before joining the live pictures, we've had an early breakaway duo form in the first 50km, Irene Mendez (Bizkaia Durango) and Susanne Andersen (Uno-X).

Beatrice Pozzobon (Team Mendelspeck) and Giorgia Bariana (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) set out in pursuit to try and bridge the gap, but they have struggled to get inside two minutes of the leaders and are dangling only 50 seconds ahead of the peloton.