Beginning in a similar way to the final two editions of La Vuelta Femenina, this yr’s race started with a gap crew time trial, with the riders rolling off the ramp to tackle a 16km-long course round Valencia.
It was a tightly contested stage, with the entire prime groups battling it out to offer their leaders an early benefit within the common classification. Nevertheless, it was Lidl-Trek that emerged victorious, as they averaged just below 50km/h to complete in a time of 19:20, with Gaia Realini main the crew throughout the road to take the primary chief’s jersey of the race.
Nevertheless, the American crew might have gone faster if it weren’t for a crash within the remaining nook, as Ellen van Dijk and Elynor Bäckstedt hit the deck, which held up a few of their teammates on the strategy to the end. They managed to shortly regroup although and provides one final push to the road to take the victory by simply 0.02 seconds over Visma-Lease a Bike.
EF Training-Cannondale set the early benchmark with the primary sub-20 minute time of the stage earlier than a number of of the favourites’ groups headed out onto the course. Nevertheless, when Visma-Lease a Bike went via the intermediate break up on the midway level, it was clear that the American crew wouldn’t be on the prime for for much longer.
Once they reached the end, the Dutch crew had set the brand new quickest time by 9 seconds and have been within the sizzling seat with 19:20 because the time to beat. Canyon-SRAM have been the subsequent large crew throughout the road, with 19-year-old Zoe Bäckstedt dragging her teammates to the end, however they have been eight seconds off the tempo.
All eyes have been on Lidl-Trek although, as they have been the quickest crew over the primary half of the course, with eight seconds of a bonus on Visma-Lease a Bike on the intermediate break up. Coming into the finale, the riders have been in formation and strung out in a line, however as they exited the ultimate nook Ellen van Dijk received on the pedals barely too early and her again wheel slipped out, which brought on her to crash together with Elynor Bäckstedt who was proper behind her.
This left Brodie Chapman and Elisa Longo Borghini alone forward of their teammates and with the time taken on the fourth rider throughout the road, they have been pressured to sit down up with a view to regroup. Gaia Realini, Lizzie Deignan and Amanda Spratt have been in a position to shortly rejoin them although and so they mustered one remaining effort to get to the end.
Though it seemed like their hopes of a stage win had been snatched away from them, the clock was nonetheless within the inexperienced as they approached the road, with Realini urging her teammates on. Ultimately, they’d simply accomplished sufficient to hold on for the victory, beating Visma-Lease a Bike by simply 0.02 seconds.
They nonetheless had SD Worx-Protime to return although, with the European Time Trial Champion Marlen Reusser on the entrance as they went below the flamme rouge. Nevertheless, they’d been behind on the intermediate break up and have been unable to get better all of their misplaced time over the second half of the course, as they narrowly missed out on the victory, ending 1.8 seconds down on Lidl-Trek.
The final crew off the ramp firstly was Movistar, however they have been unable to contest the victory, ending 12 seconds down on Lidl-Trek, who took a well-earned victory in addition to the primary maillot rojo of the race, which Realini will probably be carrying on stage 2 from Buñol to Moncofa.
RESULTS: LA VUELTA FEMENINA, STAGE ONE, VALENCIA > VALENCIA (16KM)
1. Lidl-Trek, in 19:20
2. Visma-Lease a Bike, identical time
3. SD Worx-Protime, +1s
4. Canyon-SRAM, +8s
5. EF Training-Cannondale, +9s
6. FDJ-SUEZ, identical time
7. Liv AlUla Jayco, +10s
8. Movistar, +12s
9. dsm-firmenich PostNL, +17s
10. AG Insurance coverage-Soudal, +32s
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE ONE
1. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek, in 19:20
2. Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Lidl-Trek
3. Brodie Chapman (Aus) Lidl-Trek
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Lidl-Trek
5. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Lidl-Trek
6. Elynor Bäckstedt (GBr) Lidl-Trek
7. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Lidl-Trek
8. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
9. Anna Henderson (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike
10. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, all at identical time
