Former UCI Road World Champion Amalie Dideriksen claimed Boels-Dolmans’ first win in the 2018 OVO Energy Women’s Tour by sprinting to victory in Worcester on Saturday afternoon.
The Danish rider looked in total control along the long finishing straight on Hylton Road, holding off former former stage winners Lotta Lepistö (Cervélo-Bigla), Marianne Vos (WaowDeals Pro Cycling) and Chloe Hosking (Alé Cipollini).
Coryn River (Team Sunweb) picked up more Eisberg sprint bonus seconds along the course, but the four Vos gained at the finish in Worcester saw the Dutch rider cut the gap to just 14 seconds with just tomorrow’s finale between Dolgellau and Colywn Bay.
A trio of riders, including Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig – who at one point was the virtual OVO Energy Green Jersey – were eventually caught on the outskirts of Worcester with seven kilometres remaining. Ludwig (Cervélo-Bigla) and Audrey Cordon Ragot (Wiggle HIGH5) had joined early attacker Charlotte Becker (Hitec Products-BIRK Sport) just after the opening SKODA Queen of the Mountains climb at Snowshill on the edge of the Cotswolds.
The catch set up a fast finale, with the race heading past the world-famous cathedral and across the Severn, with Dideriksen (Boels Dolmans) sprinting to a clear victory ahead of Lotta Lepsstö (Cervélo-Bigla) and Marianne Vos (WaowDeals Pro Cycling).
“We knew everyone was going to be a little tired coming into the sprint but with about 30kms to go we decided that it’d be me we’d ride for,” explained the delighted Dideriksen, who won the World title in Qatar in 2016. “The girls did an amazing lead-out and, you have to be patient in the end but still go before everyone else comes from behind. So I’m really happy I could pull it off.”
“You always want to prove that you are there as a rider but, we have a strong team here at this race and we all believe in each other and, although we haven’t won until today I think we’ve raced some good stages. But obviously I’m really happy that I got another chance today, and having shown I have good form with my fifth place in the opening stage, with today’s stage suiting me a little better the team believed in me and gave me a really good lead out.”
Vos’ third place, and the ensuing time bonus, edged the Dutchwoman a second closer to overall leader Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb), who retains the OVO Energy Green Jersey for a third day going into the race’s Welsh finale.
“There was a really good stretch of cross tailwind and the girls did a great job and strung the field out with Boels Dolmans,” said Rivera. ”It made the race hard and it was all about controlling the break from that point on.”
Rivera sits 14 seconds ahead of Vos, with her WaowDeals team-mate and Adnams Best British Rider Dani Rowe third overall at 22 seconds, despite being among a small group of riders caught up in a crash inside the final three kilometres.
Four further riders sit within 30 seconds of the lead going into the final stage, predicted to be the toughest of the 2018 race as the OVO Energy Women’s Tour heads to North Wales for the first time.
“Tomorrow is going to be a hard day,” added Rivera. “Lots of climbers and Boels and Canyon [//SRAM], I’m anticipating, will make it difficult. As long as we stay together, there is a long way to the finish line after that last climb. Team work will be the most important thing tomorrow.”
Ludwig, who tried breaking clear from the breakaway group in the closing kilometres, added: “It was a hard day in the office but it was a lot of fun.
“We tried something today and maybe we didn’t fully succeed but it was super cool. Even though we get caught, it was cool that Lotta could finish it off with a podium. The whole team rode so well and day by day we are coming together and uniting as a group.”
Thanks to her consistent finishing Vos takes over the Breast Cancer Care Points Jersey with a four-point lead over Rivera, with the latter also continuing to lead the Eisberg Sprints Jersey.
Elisa Longo Borghini (Wlggle HIGH5) holds a 15-point advantage in the SKODA Queen of the Mountains category, and needs just a solitary point from the final stage to claim the climber’s jersey.
Sunday sees the OVO Energy Women’s Tour conclude in North Wales as Stage Five covers 122 kilometres from Dolgellau to Colwyn Bay via Snowdonia
Words by Sweetspot, Images by Chris Maher
The Women’s Tour Official Site
Stage Winner 12 DIDERIKSEN Amalie Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam DEN
Combativity award 112 BECKER Charlotte Hitec Products – Birk Sport
General Classification OVO ENERGY 21 RIVERA Coryn Team Sunweb USA
Points BREAST CANCER CARE 101 VOS Marianne Waowdeals Pro Cycling Team NED
Queen of the Mountains SKODA 55 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa Wiggle High5 ITA Sprints EISBERG 21 RIVERA Coryn Team Sunweb USA
Best British ADNAMS 105 ROWE Danielle Waowdeals Pro Cycling Team GBR
Best Team OVO ENERGY Waowdeals Pro Cycling Team
Stage Top Thirty
1 12 *DIDERIKSEN Amalie 00″ DLT DEN B:10″
2 35 LEPISTÖ Lotta Pauliina ‘ ‘ CBT FIN B:06″
3 101 VOS Marianne ‘ ‘ WAD NED B:04″
4 81 HOSKING Chloe ‘ ‘ ALE AUS
5 131 GUARISCHI Barbara ‘ ‘ TVC ITA
6 162 *CONSONNI Chiara ‘ ‘ VAL ITA
7 31 *JØRGENSEN Emma Cecilie Norsgaard ‘ ‘ CBT DEN
8 71 D’HOORE Jolien ‘ ‘ MTS BEL
9 153 EVANS Neah ‘ ‘ STR GBR
10 41 FOURNIER Roxane ‘ ‘ FDJ FRA
11 141 BUJAK Eugenia ‘ ‘ BTC SLO B:01″
12 22 BRAND Lucinda ‘ ‘ SUN NED
13 15 PIETERS Amy ‘ ‘ DLT NED
14 21 RIVERA Coryn ‘ ‘ SUN USA B:02″
15 14 MAJERUS Christine ‘ ‘ DLT LUX
16 161 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ‘ ‘ VAL ITA
17 56 WILD Kirsten ‘ ‘ WHT NED
18 91 BUURMAN Eva ‘ ‘ DRP NED
19 134 PAWLOWSKA Katarzyna ‘ ‘ TVC POL
20 61 BRONZINI Giorgia ‘ ‘ CPC ITA
21 45 TENNIGLO Moniek ‘ ‘ FDJ NED
22 43 DUVAL Eugénie ‘ ‘ FDJ FRA
23 55 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ‘ ‘ WHT ITA
24 76 ROY Sarah ‘ ‘ MTS AUS
25 36 *LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup ‘ ‘ CBT DEN B:03″
26 106 STULTIENS Sabrina ‘ ‘ WAD NED
27 132 MOBERG Emilie ‘ ‘ TVC NOR
28 6 *KLEIN Lisa ‘ ‘ CSR GER
29 165 SANGUINETI Ilaria ‘ ‘ VAL ITA
30 51 BRENNAUER Lisa ‘ ‘ WHT GER
General Classification after Stage 4
1 21 RIVERA Coryn 00″ SUN USA 14h48’44”
2 101 VOS Marianne 14″ WAD NED 14h48’58”
3 105 ROWE Danielle 22″ WAD GBR 14h49’06”
4 15 PIETERS Amy 25″ DLT NED 14h49’09”
5 14 MAJERUS Christine ‘ ‘ DLT LUX ‘ ‘
6 55 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa 29″ WHT ITA 14h49’13”
7 141 BUJAK Eugenia 30″ BTC SLO 14h49’14”
8 91 BUURMAN Eva 31″ DRP NED 14h49’15”
9 161 CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ‘ ‘ VAL ITA ‘ ‘
10 5 FERRAND PREVOT Pauline ‘ ‘ CSR FRA ‘ ‘
11 106 STULTIENS Sabrina ‘ ‘ WAD NED ‘ ‘
12 145 *IAKOVENKO Anastasiia ‘ ‘ BTC RUS ‘ ‘
13 26 VAN DIJK Ellen ‘ ‘ SUN NED ‘ ‘
14 4 AMIALIUSIK Alena ‘ ‘ CSR BLR ‘ ‘
15 86 PALADIN Soraya ‘ ‘ ALE ITA ‘ ‘
16 76 ROY Sarah 36″ MTS AUS 14h49’20”
17 61 BRONZINI Giorgia 40″ CPC ITA 14h49’24”
18 36 *LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup 45″ CBT DEN 14h49’29”
19 41 FOURNIER Roxane 46″ FDJ FRA 14h49’30”
20 43 DUVAL Eugénie ‘ ‘ FDJ FRA ‘ ‘
21 1 NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna 47″ CSR POL 14h49’31”
22 134 PAWLOWSKA Katarzyna 48″ TVC POL 14h49’32”
23 11 BLAAK Chantal ‘ ‘ DLT NED ‘ ‘
24 144 NILSSON Hanna ‘ ‘ BTC SWE ‘ ‘
25 142 BATAGELJ Polona ‘ ‘ BTC SLO ‘ ‘
26 64 RATTO Rossella ‘ ‘ CPC ITA ‘ ‘
27 83 ENSING Janneke ‘ ‘ ALE NED ‘ ‘
28 12 *DIDERIKSEN Amalie 54″ DLT DEN 14h49’38”
29 22 BRAND Lucinda 01’04” SUN NED 14h49’48”
30 6 *KLEIN Lisa ‘ ‘ CSR GER ‘ ‘
31 94 *PARKINSON Abby-Mae ‘ ‘ DRP GBR ‘ ‘
