A Vos to be reckoned with! Vos claims Yellow as Wiggle Honda’s Amy Pieters takes the stage win in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stage Two, June 16th 2016 Atherstone to Stratford-upon-Avon 140Kms.
Twenty-seven riders contested the finish with a bunch sprint into Stratford-upon-Avon on a rather soggy day in Warwickshire on the longest stage in this years Aviva Women’s Tour.
One-hundred-and-forty kilometers awaited the ninety riders on the start-line for stage two in Atherstone.
The peloton split with around twenty-five kilometers remaining having ridden through at times, quite torrential weather, over a more testing course today.
The first action started with the Chain Reaction Points Sprint into Kenilworth at thirty-six kilometers. Lotta Lepistӧ Cevelo Bigla Pro Cycling took the three points with Majerus and Vos competing for the remaining points too.
Vos took the second sprint into Tysoe at ninety kilometers ahead of Majerus this time and Leah Kirchmann Team Liv Plantur.
Burton Dassett provided the first Strava Queen-of-the-Mountain classification after seventy-two kilometres and American Katie Hall took maximum points. A safe decent saw the peloton stretch out before all coming back together further down the road.
Two riders got away approaching the second Queen-of-the-Mountains at IImington. Malgorzata Jasinska Ale Cipollini and Amalie Dideriksen Boels Dolmans rode together all the way to the top. Katie Hall dug deep to clinch the final point and in doing so went into the polka-dot jersey.
The peloton split into several groups as twenty-five rode free on the final climb, collecting the two leaders after the decent, there was no way back for the chasing groups to close the gap.
In the closing kilometers the pace increased as several attacks from Parkhotel Valkenburg, Wiggle High5 and Boels Dolmans kept counter attacking each time they were brought back.
It was left to a bunch sprint to determine the out-come of today’s race and Wiggle High5’s Amy Pieters pace couldn’t be beaten by last years overall winner Lisa Brennauer nor former World Champion Marianne Vos, taking third. Vos moves into the Aviva Yellow leaders jersey and the Chain Reaction Points jersey going into stage three, a rather lumpy trek around the Derbyshire Dales and a shorter one-hundred-and-nine kilometers.
Stage winner
16 PIETERS Amy Wiggle High5 NED
Combativity award 33 FAHLIN Emilia Ale Cipollini SWE
GENERAL
General classification Aviva 91 VOS Marianne Raboliv Womencyclingteam NED
Points Chain Reaction Cycles 91 VOS Marianne Raboliv Womencyclingteam NED
Queen of the mountain Strava 53 HALL Katharine Unitedhealthcare Pro Women Team USA
Best British Adnams 21 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam GBR
Best young Stoke-onTrent European City of Sports 43 MACKAIJ Floortje Team Liv – Plantur NED
Best Team Aviva Wiggle High5WHT
JERSEY
Overall leader – Yellow Aviva 91 VOS Marianne Raboliv Womencyclingteam NED
Points – Blue and white Chain Reaction Cycles 26 MAJERUS Christine Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam LUX
Queen of the Mountain – Polka Strava 53 HALL Katharine Unitedhealthcare Pro Women Team USA
Best British – Cyan and pink Adnams 21 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam GBR
Best Young – White Stoke-on-Trent European City of Sport 43 MACKAIJ Floortje Team Liv – Plantur
Stage Top Twenty
1 16 PIETERS Amy 00″ WHT NED B:10″
2 1 BRENNAUER Lisa ‘ ‘ LPR GER B:06″
3 91 VOS Marianne ‘ ‘ RBW NED B:08″
4 72 ELVIN Gracie ‘ ‘ OGE AUS
5 26 MAJERUS Christine ‘ ‘ DLT LUX B:04″
6 11 JOHANSSON Emma ‘ ‘ WHT SWE
7 13 BRONZINI Giorgia ‘ ‘ WHT ITA
8 43 *MACKAIJ Floortje ‘ ‘ TLP NED
9 42 KIRCHMANN Leah ‘ ‘ TLP CAN B:01″
10 96 VAN DER BREGGEN Anna ‘ ‘ RBW NED
11 51 VILLUMSEN Linda ‘ ‘ UHC NZL
12 15 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ‘ ‘ WHT ITA
13 23 *DIDERIKSEN Amalie ‘ ‘ DLT DEN
14 25 HARRIS Nikki ‘ ‘ DLT GBR
15 5 CROMWELL Tiffany ‘ ‘ LPR AUS
16 83 MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh ‘ ‘ CBT RSA
17 71 SPRATT Amanda ‘ ‘ OGE AUS
18 21 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth ‘ ‘ DLT GBR
19 14 KING Danielle ‘ ‘ WHT GBR
20 104 POST Jermaine ‘ ‘ PHV NES
GC Top Ten
1 91 VOS Marianne 00″ RBW NED 7h01’26”
2 26 MAJERUS Christine 03″ DLT LUX 7h01’29”
3 16 PIETERS Amy 07″ WHT NED 7h01’33”
4 1 BRENNAUER Lisa 11″ LPR GER 7h01’37”
5 13 BRONZINI Giorgia 13″ WHT ITA 7h01’39”
6 42 KIRCHMANN Leah ‘ ‘ TLP CAN ‘ ‘
7 72 ELVIN Gracie 14″ OGE AUS 7h01’40”
8 21 ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth 16″ DLT GBR 7h01’42”
9 43 *MACKAIJ Floortje 17″ TLP NED 7h01’43”
10 11 JOHANSSON Emma ‘ ‘ WHT SWE ‘ ‘
Marianne Vos Post Race Press Interview
“It was pretty tough, some steep ramps but no long ones, but they were steep. On the climbs the attacks pushed through. There were not real hard attacks.
Today wasn’t as hard as the coming days. We felt it in the legs, it was a long stage, it was one-hundred-and-forty-kayes.
Tomorrow I think it’s going to more aggressive! From tomorrow the longer climbs come in and we’ll see. I think it will split the field more.”
Listen to the full press interview with Marianne on Cycling Shorts here
