Annemiek van Vleuten sealed her second victory in a row in the Giro Rosa, the women’s tour of Italy, in a race dominated by Dutch riders.

Van Vleuten finished three minutes 45 seconds ahead of Anna van der Breggen, the winner in 2015 and 2017, while the final stage was won by three-time champion Marianne Vos. Dutch women have won the race in seven of the last 10 years.

‘It’s great to win again, especially because I feel a lot better this year than last time,’ said the 36-year-old Van Vleuten, who laid the basis for her victory on the fifth of the 10 stages.

‘I felt comfortable today, with the team around me. It was a fantastic Giro Rosa. It’s a dream come true again.

‘It’s nice for the team too, we were extremely well prepared and worked hard for each other. You can win a one-day race on your own, but in a multi-stage tour you need your team every day.’

Vos won a sprint to the line on the final day to claim her fourth stage win of the year and her 25th in total, while Van Vleuten claimed two stage wins.

Among those congratulating Van Vleuten was her Mitchelton-Scott stablemate, the South African rider Daryl Impey, who won stage nine of the men’s Tour de France on Bastille Day to make it a double celebration for the team.

‘Annemiek is a fantastic athlete, if you see what she’s done in the Giro,’ said Impey. ‘I need to say congrats to her and the team.’