Lizzie Deignan praised “an exceptional experience” by Nice Britain team-mate Anna Henderson on the Tour of Britain Girls stage two, beginning and ending in Wrexham. Henderson, who’s on a comeback after breaking her collarbone twice within the early season, held on for second in Wrexham behind breakaway accomplice and stage winner Lotte Kopecky.
After the pair broke away on the Horseshoe Cross with 25km to go, the Belgian prevailed in what was a technical metropolis centre dash, making it two-in-a-row. They completed 20 seconds forward of a big chasing group, led in by Kopecky’s SD Worx-Protime team-mate Lorena Wiebes.
Henderson’s experience noticed her transfer up from sixth place to second on GC, leapfrogging Deignan, who dropped from fourth to fifth.
The Nice Britain crew, which additionally options Elinor Barker and Elynor Bäckstedt, will defend Henderson’s second, stated Deignan.
“I believe we’ll attempt to defend that second place,” she stated. “We have nonetheless obtained so much to play for. The crew’s driving very well collectively, actually sturdy, Anna did an exceptional experience at present.”
The 140km stage additionally noticed Deignan defend her blue Queen of the Mountains jersey, extending her result in 10 factors over present runner-up Kopecky.
“We knew there’d be two fairly tough occasions at present and I’d have an excellent attempt at defending the jersey,” stated Deignan, who often rides for the Lidl-Trek WorldTour crew. “I assumed, nicely I’ve obtained it now and let’s attempt to maintain it.”
She predicted that with a Kopecky’s GC lead now established at 17 seconds, SD Worx-Protime would flip their focus to successful sprints with Wiebes.
“It’s going to be as much as the remainder of us to upset that plan I assume,” she stated.
The way it occurred
After a number of false begins by riders making an attempt to ascertain a break, Franzisco Koch (dsm-firmenich PostNL) succeeded when she attacked solo after round 25km of racing, and rapidly established a niche, nearly by stealth.
That hole rapidly rose to just about 4 minutes earlier than inevitably starting to fall once more within the second half of the race as the important thing appointment of the class one Horseshoe Cross drew nearer.
Koch stayed out entrance lengthy sufficient to take each the QoM factors on the class three climb to Eyton Hill and the dash factors too in Johnstown a number of kilometres later.
However with Horseshoe Cross looming Koch was returned to the fold and the peloton set about pulling arduous.
Because the bunch shedded riders like seeds within the wind, inexperienced jersey wearer Kopecky sprung from the entrance of the race, with Henderson the one rider capable of comply with.
Regardless of the concerted efforts of a big chasing group of a few of Kopecky’s greatest rivals within the race, together with Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Letitzia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), the pair held on to contend a technical dash end in Wrexham.
Outcomes
Tour of Britain Girls 2024 stage two
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, in 3:37:12
2. Anna Henderson (GBr) Nice Britain, at similar time
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +20sec
4. Letitzia Paternoster (Ita) Liv-AlUla-Jayco
5. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) dsm-firmenich PostNL
6. Sarah Roy (Aus) Cofidis
7. Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Bel) VolkerWessels PCT
8. Josie Talbot (Aus) Cofidis
9. Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Nice Britain
10. Eline Jansen (Ned) VolkerWessels PCT, all at similar time
Common Classification after stage two
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime, in 07:41:07
2. Anna Henderson (GBr) Nice Britain Biking crew, +17s
3. Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv ALUla Jayco, +34s
4. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +38s
5. Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Nice Britain Biking crew, +43s
6. Eline Jansen (Ned) Volker Wessels,
7. Victorie Guilman (Fra) St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93,
8. Christine Majerus (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, all at similar time
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv ALUla Jayco, +3:01
10. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx, +4:29
