Accurate, punctual, elegant. In the 14.2 km opening time trial of the 2025 Giro d’Italia Women -from Chorus Life district to the Sentierone in downtown Bergamo – a Swiss express came flying through at an average speed of 49 km/h: Marlen Reusser. The Movistar rider takes the first Maglia Rosa, after dominating the stage from start to finish, stopping the clock at 17’22”, 12 seconds ahead of European ITT champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and 16 seconds ahead of Giro di’Italia defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ).
Now nearing 34 years of age, Reusser is showing the best version of herself. Over the past two months, she finished second at the Vuelta a España, beaten only by the phenomenon Demi Vollering, and then went on to win the Vuelta a Burgos and her home race, the Tour de Suisse, where she exacted her revenge on Vollering. Marlen is in top form – better than ever – and many have pegged her as the outright favorite for this Giro. If Longo Borghini managed to wear the Maglia Rosa from start to finish last year, there’s no reason Reusser couldn’t do the same.
And to think that 2024 was a nightmare for her, as COVID made her seriously doubt whether she’d ever return to her old self, namely the rider who’s won 33 races in her career, including 3 European time trial titles and two Tour de France stages. “Last spring I was ill for two weeks and just kept getting worse,” Reusser recalled. “We couldn’t figure out what was wrong. In June, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, I tried getting back on the bike, but I had a fever that would spike one day and drop the next. In August, I was diagnosed with long COVID. I couldn’t believe it and struggled to accept it. The problem is, every time you do something, your health deteriorates. I was chronically ill. I was scared, because I know there are people who never recover from it”.
Luckily, not only did Reusser come back, but she’s riding stronger than ever. She’s always been a missile in time trials, but it’s in the mountains where she now seems to have made a real leap in quality. The summit finishes at Pianezze and Monte Nerone will put any remaining doubts to rest. Her rivals, who will try to strip her of the Maglia Rosa, aren’t far behind. Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini, and Anna Van der Breggen are all right there, ready to challenge her at every turn. From now until next Sunday, there’s no letting up.