PRESS RELEASE
FRIDAY 8 OCTOBER 2021
LORENA WIEBES DOUBLES UP IN CLACTON AFTER AJ BELL WOMEN’S TOUR THRILLER
Lorena Wiebes became only the second rider in AJ Bell Women’s Tour history to claim back-to-back stage victories when she produced another dominant sprint to win in Clacton-on-Sea on Friday.
Images by Chris Maher. Updated daily throughout the race.
Wiebes (Team DSM) beat newly-crowned world champion Elisa Balsamo (Valcar – Travel & Service) to the victory, while Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR rider Maria Van’t Geloof won a close-fought battle for third.
Only Dutchwoman Wiebes’ compatriot Marianne Vos had previously won consecutive stages of the UK’s most prestigious women’s race, a run that coincidentally started when Vos also won in Clacton-on-Sea during the 2014 edition.
Race leader Demi Vollering (SD Worx) finished safely within the peloton to move closer to being crowned the race’s overall winner, although for a large part of the day British rider Hayley Simmonds (CAMS – Basso Bikes) was the virtual blue jersey following an audacious solo attack on the roads of Essex.
Vollering retains a 1:09 lead over Juliette Labous (Team DSM) going into Saturday’s final stage, while Clara Copponi (FDJ Nouvelle – Aquitaine) reduced her deficit to 1:16 after picking up bonus seconds in the day’s two Eisberg sprints.
“We put Liane [Lippert] in the front for the chase and everything was under control actually so that was good” said Wiebes afterwards. “With the lead-out we were a bit too early in the front. It was a bit chaotic but in the last bend I found my way to the front and almost directly started my sprint. So I came with some speed from behind and it worked out pretty good we controlled the day.”
The story of the day looked like being Simmonds’ performance, after the time trial specialist attacked seven kilometres out from the start in Colchester. Having started the day 2:55 behind Vollering on GC, she amassed a lead of four-and-a-half minutes with 50 kilometres remaining.
However, a mix of action in the peloton on the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains climb at Manningtree combined with Simmonds’ fatigue saw her caught just 15 kilometres outside of Clacton.
Wiebes again looked unstoppable once she had started her sprint along Marine Parade West and duly claimed her 12th victory of the season. Race leader Vollering finished out of trouble in 30th.
“My team were totally in control today,” said Vollering. “They went on the front and did a few turns and keep the speed a bit high and then bring back the break so that was good.
“Tomorrow we need to keep it together and make it a good race again. We don’t have a plan yet; we need to see first, look a bit better at the route and then we will see.”
Thanks to her victory, Wiebes moves into the lead of the Sigma Sports points jersey, two points ahead of Chloe Hosking (Trek-Segafredo), who added a fourth-place finish to her second (Banbury) and third (Southend-on-Sea) already this week.
Elise Chabbey (Canyon SRAM Racing) and Nina Kessler (Team TIBCO Silicon – Valley Bank) retained their ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains and Eisberg sprints jerseys respectively. The pair only need to finish Saturday’s final stage to secure victory in those competitions.
The AJ Bell Women’s Tour finishes on Saturday 9 October with a 155.3-kilometre (96.6-mile) final stage through Suffolk from Haverhill to Felixstowe.
Stage Six gets underway at 11:00 on the Market Hill in Haverhill with an estimated finish of around 15:20 on Sea Road in in Felixstowe.
Stage 5 Top 30
1 151 WIEBES Lorena DSM NED B:10″ 00″
2 131 BALSAMO Elisa VAL ITA B:06″ ‘ ‘
3 116 VAN ‘T GELOOF Maria ApolonDiRaP NED B:04″ ‘ ‘
4 3 HOSKING Chloe TFS AUS ‘ ‘
5 62 COPPONI Clara FDJ FRA B:03″ ‘ ‘
6 92 BERTIZZOLO Sofia LIV ITA ‘ ‘
7 31 BASTIANELLI Marta ALE ITA ‘ ‘
8 121 GUTIERREZ RUIZ Sheyla MOV ESP ‘ ‘
9 21 PIETERS Amy SDW NED B:01″ ‘ ‘
10 75 VAN DER HULST Amber PHV NED ‘ ‘
11 12 *BARNES Alice CSR GBR ‘ ‘
12 141 ROY Sarah BEX AUS ‘ ‘
13 41 *NELSON Josie HPU GBR ‘ ‘
14 142 CAMPBELL Teniel BEX TTO ‘ ‘
15 114 *TACEY April DRP GBR ‘ ‘
16 154 KIRCHMANN Leah DSM CAN ‘ ‘
17 155 LABOUS Juliette DSM FRA ‘ ‘
18 32 BUJAK Eugenia ALE SLO ‘ ‘
19 122 BIANNIC Aude MOV FRA ‘ ‘
20 105 KESSLER Nina TIB NED ‘ ‘
21 61 DUVAL Eugénie FDJ FRA ‘ ‘
22 104 FRAIN Nicole TIB AUS ‘ ‘
23 73 LIMPENS Pien PHV NED ‘ ‘
24 133 SANGUINETI Ilaria VAL ITA ‘ ‘
25 71 BREDEWOLD Mischa PHV NED ‘ ‘
26 106 *SMITH Abi TIB GBR ‘ ‘
27 46 MOHR Mari Hole HPU NOR ‘ ‘
28 15 HARRIS Ella CSR NZL ‘ ‘
29 24 MAJERUS Christine SDW LUX ‘ ‘
30 26 VOLLERING Demi SDW NED ‘ ‘
General Classification After Stage 5 into Clacton
1 26 VOLLERING Demi SDW NED 12h00’37” 00″
2 155 LABOUS Juliette DSM FRA 12h01’46” 01’09”
3 62 COPPONI Clara FDJ FRA 12h01’53” 01’16”
4 21 PIETERS Amy SDW NED 12h01’56” 01’19”
5 122 BIANNIC Aude MOV FRA 12h02’10” 01’33”
6 154 KIRCHMANN Leah DSM CAN 12h02’23” 01’46”
7 111 *LOWDEN Joscelin DRP GBR 12h02’24” 01’47”
8 12 *BARNES Alice CSR GBR 12h02’28” 01’51”
9 22 BLAAK Chantal SDW NED 12h02’29” 01’52”
10 152 *GEORGI Pfeiffer DSM GBR 12h02’30” 01’53”
11 14 CHABBEY Elise CSR SUI 12h02’31” 01’54”
12 121 GUTIERREZ RUIZ Sheyla MOV ESP 12h02’42” 02’05”
13 25 *SHACKLEY Anna SDW GBR 12h02’45” 02’08”
14 24 MAJERUS Christine SDW LUX 12h02’54” 02’17”
15 141 ROY Sarah BEX AUS 12h03’03” 02’26”
16 15 HARRIS Ella CSR NZL 12h03’06” 02’29”
17 106 *SMITH Abi TIB GBR 12h03’08” 02’31”
18 101 STEPHENS Lauren TIB USA 12h03’25” 02’48”
19 81 *SIMMONDS Hayley CAT GBR 12h03’26” 02’49”
20 33 BOOGAARD Maaike ALE NED 12h03’30” 02’53”
21 31 BASTIANELLI Marta ALE ITA ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘
22 13 *BARNES Hannah CSR GBR 12h03’32” 02’55”
23 23 CECCHINI Elena SDW ITA 12h03’35” 02’58”
24 131 BALSAMO Elisa VAL ITA ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘
25 71 BREDEWOLD Mischa PHV NED 12h03’37” 03’00”
26 125 OYARBIDE JIMENEZ LourdMeOsV ESP 12h03’38” 03’01”
27 145 SANTESTEBAN GONZALEBZ EAXne ESP 12h03’45” 03’08”
28 32 BUJAK Eugenia ALE SLO 12h03’46” 03’09”
29 132 CONSONNI Chiara VAL ITA 12h04’04” 03’27”
30 92 BERTIZZOLO Sofia LIV ITA 12h04’05” 03’28”
