On the day of the Giro d'Italia start in Apeldoorn, the women could also be in action. The Dutch organizers of the Giro-start in Gelderland srae studying the possibility of an international time trial for women on the prologue course, according to a report in De Stentor.

The plan for the women to ride on Friday, May 6th has been brought to the table by Vera Koedooder. "The prologue of the Giro in Apeldoorn is such a great opportunity to put women's cycling in the spotlight," the Apeldoorn resident said. The idea is to have 20-30 riders tart at one-minute intervals on the full 9.8 course of the men's time trial.

Koedooder expects that many world class riders will travel to Apeldoorn. "I will definitely try to make them excited about the idea," she promised. "If you invite a select group of top riders and also make some room for Apeldoorn riders like Annemiek van Vleuten, you have a nice event. To ride with this big audience - just before the spectacle of the Giro starts - would be very special."

The Dutch organizers have announced that they take the idea very seriously. "We are still considering an addition to the program at this time," a spokesperson told the newspaper. However, the plan must be discussed internally and requires permission from Giro organizer RCS.