A robust first half at La Vuelta Femenina noticed Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) safe a stage victory, three podium finishes and the general GC lead because the race heads into the ultimate 4 levels.
Vos mentioned the general classification was not her goal for the eight-day race however that sporting the maillot rojo had been a pleasant shock.
“It was not the primary objective as we speak, however it’s, after all, at all times good to trip within the chief’s jersey,” Vos mentioned on the stage 4 end line in Zaragoza on Wednesday.
Vos completed second within the opening group time trial as a part of her Visma-Lease a Bike group. She then went on to win stage 3 into Teruel and completed third on stage 4, the place she took the general lead by 5 seconds forward of Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) and 9 seconds forward of stage winner Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Cannondale).
At the top of the 142km stage from Molina de Aragón to Zaragoza, which was riddled with sturdy winds that triggered echelons all through the peloton, Vos completed second within the 15-rider chase group that sprinted throughout the end line 10 seconds behind solo winner Faulkner.
Her third place on the day meant that she picked up sufficient time bonus seconds to maneuver forward of in a single day chief Vas.
“Faulkner’s assault was very sturdy. It was a tricky race from the beginning. In the start, we have been perhaps a little bit too far within the again, however happily, we have been quickly capable of transfer to the entrance,” Vos mentioned.
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“It was good to see that Riejanne [Markus] and Sophie [von Berswordt] have been additionally within the entrance group when the decisive cut up occurred. The three of us rode properly, however sadly, one particular person proved to be too sturdy. Faulkner is the deserved winner.”
La Vuelta Femenina now heads into the mountains with end climbs: Fuerte Rapitán on stage 5, Laguna Negra de Vinuesa on stage 6, and Valdesquí. Comunidad de Madrid on stage 8.
Vos will undoubtedly attempt to maintain onto the general race lead for so long as doable; nevertheless, she could also be pressured to surrender the maillot rojo to the GC favourites together with Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek), or Spanish Champion Mavi García (Liv-AlUla-Jayco).
There are a number of riders in rivalry to win this 12 months’s general title at La Vuelta Femenina, and Cyclingnews highlights the riders to look at.