Cape Town - Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio completed the only Grand Tour in women's cycling in second place overall in the Giro Rosa on Sunday, becoming the first African rider to do so.

Moolman-Pasio spoke of the team's commitment to develop and how this result is a testament of that.

"For us, the most important thing is development," she said.

"It's rewarding to see how each rider on the team grows through such a demanding tour. Not just physical development but mentally and by character. That is important to us. It's about becoming better people and to see that is amazing. A Grand Tour is no joke, this has been a demanding tour and to see the development of the riders is really rewarding."

Moolman-Pasio has completed the Giro Rosa in the top 10 several times but today marks her best performance to date.

"It's my first Giro Rosa podium. It would be wonderful to win this race one time in my career and this is the closest I've come so I'll keep challenging. It's quite an emotional experience to finish on the podium. Successfully standing here on the podium as an African is a big achievement for me, I am really proud of it," the South African concluded.

After one day's break, racing will continue on Tuesday, July 17 when the team will line up in La Course by le Tour de France.

Moolman-Pasio will once again lead the Cervélo Bigla Pro Cycling team in the company of Uttrp Ludwig, Clara Koppenburg, Lotta Lepistö, Marie Vilmann and Nicole Hanselmann.

