Americans Abroad: U.S. women dominate Italy

Welcome to Americans Abroad, our weekly check-in with the American pros in the European peloton. VeloNews will publish these updates every Monday throughout the season.

American women took to Italy for the Giro Rosa and left the nine-stage race with plenty of hardware. Evelyn Stevens (Boels – Dolmans) won three stages and wore the pink jersey for three of the nine days. Her teammate Megan Guarnier did not win a stage, but wore the leader’s jersey for four days and most importantly claimed the overall when the race concluded in Verbania, taking the title by 34 seconds over Stevens, who was second.

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Wiggle – High 5’s Mara Abbott also won a stage and wore the leader’s jersey for a day. Abbott, a two-time winner of the Giro Rosa, took the lead from Stevens on stage 5 before losing it to Guarnier the following day.

Overall, the U.S. women wore the leader’s pink jersey for eight of the nine stages, and finished first and second overall.

Mara Abbott (Wiggle – High5)

Abbott won stage 5 of the Giro Rosa and finished second in the queen of the mountains competition. Overall, she was fifth, 2:38 behind Guarnier.

Brent Bookwalter (BMC)

Bookwalter is one of the domestiques for Tejay van Garderen and Richie Porte at the Tour de France. After Sunday’s stage 9 into Andorra, he was 108th overall.

Lawson Craddock (Cannondale – Drapac)

In France, Craddock is riding for Pierre Rolland. Heading into Monday’s rest day, he was in 74th overall. More on Craddock >>

Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (Cylance)

Doebel-Hickok raced in Italy and came in 31st overall. Her best stage was stage 1, where she came in 19th place.

Alex Howes (Cannondale – Drapac)

Howes is the second American domestique for Rolland in France. After Sunday’s stage 9, he is 102nd overall and his best stage result so far has been stage 7, where he was 41st. More on Howes >>

Scotti Lechuga (Hagens Bermans – Supermint)

Lechuga raced in Italy for the first five stages of the Giro Rosa. She was unable to finish stage 6 of the race.

Amber Neben (Bepink)

Neben went to Italy as the team leader for the Bepink squad, but did not finish the race, as she did not start stage 8.

Liza Rachetto (Hagens Bermans – Supermint)

Rachetto was the second American on the Hagens Bermans squad in Italy. She finished the race in 104th overall, and she finished stage 8 in 38th place.

Alexis Ryan (Canyon – SRAM)

Ryan was the lone American on the Canyon – SRAM squad in Italy. She finished 65th overall while helping her teammate Amelia Amaliusik finish ninth overall. Ryan’s best stage finish was 23rd in the stage 7 time trial.

Pete Stetina (Trek – Segafredo)

Stetina is racing the Tour de France for Bauke Mollema and Fabian Cancellara. Overall, after Monday’s rest day, he was 47th. His best day so far was stage 8, when he finished 44th.

Tejay van Garderen (BMC)

Team BMC’s American co-leader sits in 11th place during Monday’s rest day in Andorra, 1:01 behind race leader Chris Froome. More on van Garderen >>