Soraya Paladin has been working on developing a big sprint at Trofeo Alfredo Binda.

Last year, Paladin rode Cittiglio to a two-fifths chance of the podium, but could not keep up with the speed of three of her four chase companions as they surged toward the finish to take the steps left behind 2021 sole winner Elisa Longo Borghini. But this year, even the 18-strong lead group was not enough to stop Paladin's top three finishers.

"The plan was that if it came down to a group sprint, it would be for me," said Paladin, who moved from Liv Racing to Canyon-SRAM at the start of this season. 'It was strange because I'd never had this kind of pressure from a team before. But it was fun. I wanted to give something back to my teammates."

Paladin finished behind world champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek Segafredo) and Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ).

"Elise [Chaby] put me where I wanted to be in the last kilometer. On the last corner I was in second place and from there I started sprinting. Balsamo was strong and I don't think I could have asked for a better result in the group sprint today. It's my first time on the podium in a sprint and I'm happy for myself to be on the WorldTour podium.

Chaby, along with Longo-Borghini, Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), and Marlen Reusser (SD Walks) also showed promise in the final 16km of the race. However, the breakaway was eventually reeled in. Chavy finished seventh in the sprint finish, giving the team two top-10 finishers.

"It was disappointing that the final breakaway didn't go through, but I was happy to see Soraya in the group behind me and she sprinted to the podium," Chavy said. The Trofeo Alfredo Binda will be the third round of the top series to be held in 2022.