Weather extremes for Giro della Donna

THE Giro della Donna cycle race was held in Marysville on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, 23 and 24, in challenging conditions. Saturday had temperatures in the mid-30s, and on Sunday it was much milder with rain.
Matthew White, the Giro della Donna head of commercial and marketing said, “I guess like any outdoor event, the weather is always a challenge and we probably felt it a little bit more than most, especially given that this was the first time that Giro della Donna has been held in in Marysville.

“There were definitely warm conditions on Saturday for the Gravel Giro and Criteria in town, but it didn’t affect numbers too much. Where our numbers were affected was on the full course, 145 kilometre Giro della Donna main event, where we had a number of people that had registered but didn’t show for the event.”

There were 1200 entries, but due to the weather, about 200 people didn’t participate. COVID-19 has also been active in Melbourne recently, which may also explain some of the absences.

On Saturday, the race start times were delayed until later in the afternoon, and it rained all day on Sunday.
Despite this, Matt said, “Look, honestly, the spirits of all of the competitors when they came across the line, the sense of achievement from being able to accomplish what for many of them was a goal, maybe a couple of years in the making, they were ecstatic to be there.”

There were four medical cases over the course of the weekend, including one for hypothermia.

Matt said of the race, “The support that we had from Murrindindi Shire Council and of course from the community of Marysville itself was nothing short of phenomenal. We are so happy to have made the move from Warburton up and over into Marysville. It’s a great environment for….

Image: The cyclists climbing Murchison Street in Marysville at the start of the Giro della Donna.