The 133.9-kilometer race from Busto Arsizio to Varese featured a hilly course with several local laps. The team wanted to make it a hard and aggressive race from the start and kept the race under control throughout the day. Maud Oudeman was part of the first breakaway of the day and spent a long time up the road.

With 30 kilometers to go, Karlijn Swinkels and Nikola Nosková managed to break clear of the chasing group. The duo built a lead of 35 seconds and looked to be on their way to victory for a long time.

The chasers continued to push, however. The duo was not caught until the final climb, just a few hundred meters from the finish. Van Dam was well positioned in the group that then sprinted for the win. The Canadian was only beaten by Gasparrini and secured her second straight podium finish in Italy.

“There were a lot of strong riders today, and I put myself in the best possible position. Second was the best I could do today. I can take a lot of confidence from these two races. Things are heading in the right direction. I want to be fighting for the win, and today the team really put me in that position. We’re getting there, and I’m taking this momentum into next season.”

With her second-place finish in the Tre Valli Varesine, Van Dam closes out a strong run of racing in Italy. After finishing second in the Giro dell’Emilia Internazionale Donne on Saturday, she is back on the podium once again. The Canadian leaves Italy with not only two podium finishes, but also plenty of confidence heading into next season.