MARIANNE VOS

"The Giro is our biggest stage race, and the winner can say she’s the best GC rider of the season. The maglia rosa has a historical signi icance, too – that’s what cycling is all about in Italy. It’s a challenge physically, but also mentally, and that makes it exciting. You have to be very lexible, because you never know what’s going to happen. It’s Italy, so you might have delays at the start, or a di ferent course to what you’re expecting, or a surprise climb. But you have to study the course and make the right decisions. You can’t win it in a day, but you can lose it in a day."