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 phases.
Vos stated the general classification was not her goal for the eight-day race however that carrying the maillot rojo had been a pleasant shock.
“It was not the primary aim right this moment, however it’s, after all, at all times good to journey within the chief’s jersey,” Vos stated on the stage 4 end line in Zaragoza on Wednesday.
Vos completed second within the opening staff time trial as a part of her Visma-Lease a Bike staff. 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 Training-Cannondale).
On the finish of the 142km stage from Molina de Aragón to Zaragoza, which was riddled with robust winds that brought on 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 robust. It was a troublesome race from the beginning. To start with, we have been perhaps somewhat too far within the again, however fortuitously, we have been quickly in a position to transfer to the entrance,” Vos stated.
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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 nicely, however sadly, one particular person proved to be too robust. 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 potential; nevertheless, she could also be compelled 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 total title at La Vuelta Femenina, and Cyclingnews highlights the riders to observe.
