PRESS RELEASE
THURSDAY 7 OCTOBER 2021 LORENA WIEBES WINS SOUTHEND-ON-SEA AJ BELL WOMEN’S TOUR STAGE
Team DSM’s Lorena Wiebes claimed the first AJ Bell Women’s Tour stage victory of her career in Southend-on-Sea on Thursday.
The Dutch rider produced a dominant sprint finish along Westcliff’s Western Esplanade in front of a huge crowd to take victory ahead of Chiara Consonni (Valcar – Travel & Service) and Trek – Segafredo’s Chloe Hosking.
Images by Chris Maher. Updated daily throughout the race.
Wiebes’ compatriot Demi Vollering (SD Worx) finished 21st to retain her race lead with just two stages remaining. Vollering has a 1-minute and nine seconds over Juliette Labous (Team DSM), with Joss Lowden (Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR) the top Brit in seventh overall.
“My team stayed on the front and really controlled it,” said Vollering, “So that was nice. A lot of other teams wanted to sprint here so we were not the only ones who wanted to keep together so that was a bit more easy for us.”
Looking ahead to the next two days and defending her lead, the SD Worx rider said; We have a really strong team here so I think that we will be fine.”
At 22 years old, and making her debut in the race, Wiebes becomes the third youngest stage winner in AJ Bell Women’s Tour history.
“The win means a lot,” said Wiebes. “We really went for this win. Pfeiffer Georgi was really close at stage two so I’m really happy for the team that we took it today.”
Departing from Shoeburyness’ East Beach, the opening hour of racing was run off at over 42kph before a breakaway could stick, with first Janneke Ensing (Team BikeExchange) going solo and then after she was caught Movistar’s Lourdes Oyarbide built almost a minute’s lead.
The Spaniard was caught with 37 kilometres to go and with the pace high even a flurry of attacks on the short ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains climb of Hambro Hill with a little over 10 kilometres to go couldn’t prevent the sprint along Southend’s Western Esplanade.
Initially latching onto Consonni’s Valcar – Travel & Service team lead-out, Wiebes opened her sprint with 150 metres to go, powering through for her first win since July’s Giro Rosa.
Thanks to her fourth place on the stage Sheyla Gutierrez takes the Sigma Sports Points jersey while the standings in the other two classifications remain unchanged with Elisa Chabbey (Canyon SRAM Racing) in the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey and Nina Kessler (Team TIBCO Silicon Valley Bank) in the Eisberg Sprints jersey.
Stage 4 Top 30
1 151 WIEBES Lorena DSM NED B:14″ 00″
2 132 CONSONNI Chiara VAL ITA B:06″ ‘ ‘
3 3 HOSKING Chloe TFS AUS B:04″ ‘ ‘
4 121 GUTIERREZ RUIZ Sheyla MOV ESP ‘ ‘
5 116 VAN ‘T GELOOF Maria ApolonDiRaP NED ‘ ‘
6 92 BERTIZZOLO Sofia LIV ITA ‘ ‘
7 141 ROY Sarah BEX AUS ‘ ‘
8 12 *BARNES Alice CSR GBR ‘ ‘
9 31 BASTIANELLI Marta ALE ITA ‘ ‘
10 21 PIETERS Amy SDW NED B:02″ ‘ ‘
11 41 *NELSON Josie HPU GBR ‘ ‘
12 62 COPPONI Clara FDJ FRA ‘ ‘
13 75 VAN DER HULST Amber PHV NED ‘ ‘
14 122 BIANNIC Aude MOV FRA ‘ ‘
15 105 KESSLER Nina TIB NED B:01″ ‘ ‘
16 123 GONZALEZ BLANCO Alicia MOV ESP ‘ ‘
17 154 KIRCHMANN Leah DSM CAN B:02″ ‘ ‘
18 32 BUJAK Eugenia ALE SLO ‘ ‘
19 131 BALSAMO Elisa VAL ITA ‘ ‘
20 14 CHABBEY Elise CSR SUI ‘ ‘
21 26 VOLLERING Demi SDW NED ‘ ‘
22 114 *TACEY April DRP GBR ‘ ‘
23 43 FELDMANN Pernille Larsen HPU NOR ‘ ‘
24 84 *GRINCZER Natalie CAT GBR ‘ ‘
25 155 LABOUS Juliette DSM FRA ‘ ‘
26 33 BOOGAARD Maaike ALE NED ‘ ‘
27 71 BREDEWOLD Mischa PHV NED ‘ ‘
28 63 GROSSETETE Maelle FDJ FRA ‘ ‘
29 15 HARRIS Ella CSR NZL ‘ ‘
30 96 PALADIN Soraya LIV ITA ‘ ‘
Stage Five of the AJ Bell Women’s Tour starts at Colchester’s Northern Gateway Park at 11:30 taking a 95.4-kilometre (59.3-mile) route to finish on Clacton-on-Sea’s Marina Parade.
General Classification after Stage 4 into Southend-on-Sea
1 26 VOLLERING Demi SDW NED 9h40’44” 00″
2 155 LABOUS Juliette DSM FRA 9h41’53” 01’09”
3 62 COPPONI Clara FDJ FRA 9h42’03” 01’19”
4 21 PIETERS Amy SDW NED 9h42’04” 01’20”
5 122 BIANNIC Aude MOV FRA 9h42’17” 01’33”
6 154 KIRCHMANN Leah DSM CAN 9h42’30” 01’46”
7 111 *LOWDEN Joscelin DRP GBR 9h42’31” 01’47”
8 12 *BARNES Alice CSR GBR 9h42’35” 01’51”
9 22 BLAAK Chantal SDW NED 9h42’36” 01’52”
10 152 *GEORGI Pfeiffer DSM GBR 9h42’37” 01’53”
11 14 CHABBEY Elise CSR SUI 9h42’38” 01’54”
12 121 GUTIERREZ RUIZ Sheyla MOV ESP 9h42’49” 02’05”
13 25 *SHACKLEY Anna SDW GBR 9h42’52” 02’08”
14 13 *BARNES Hannah CSR GBR 9h42’54” 02’10”
15 24 MAJERUS Christine SDW LUX 9h43’01” 02’17”
16 141 ROY Sarah BEX AUS 9h43’10” 02’26”
17 15 HARRIS Ella CSR NZL 9h43’13” 02’29”
18 106 *SMITH Abi TIB GBR 9h43’15” 02’31”
19 101 STEPHENS Lauren TIB USA 9h43’32” 02’48”
20 33 BOOGAARD Maaike ALE NED 9h43’37” 02’53”
21 31 BASTIANELLI Marta ALE ITA ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘
22 81 *SIMMONDS Hayley CAT GBR 9h43’39” 02’55”
23 23 CECCHINI Elena SDW ITA 9h43’42” 02’58”
24 71 BREDEWOLD Mischa PHV NED 9h43’44” 03’00”
25 125 OYARBIDE JIMENEZ LourdMeOsV ESP 9h43’45” 03’01”
26 131 BALSAMO Elisa VAL ITA 9h43’48” 03’04”
27 145 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEBZ EAXne ESP 9h43’52” 03’08”
28 32 BUJAK Eugenia ALE SLO 9h43’53” 03’09”
29 132 CONSONNI Chiara VAL ITA 9h44’11” 03’27”
30 92 BERTIZZOLO Sofia LIV ITA 9h44’12” 03’28”
