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Words by Sweetspot, Images by SWpix.
Updated Daily throughout the Women’s Tour
Saturday 11 JUNE 2022 Stage 6
ELISA LONGO BORGHINI CROWNED WOMEN’S TOUR CHAMPION IN OXFORD
Elisa Longo Borghini was crowned Women’s Tour 2022 champion at the death in Oxford as she sensationally snatched the race lead away from overnight leader Grace Brown on the world-famous St Giles’.
Longo Borghini (Trek – Segafredo) placed third on the stage – behind winner Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM), who claimed her third victory of the week, and Clara Copponi (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) – to take the overall crown by one second.
Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) placed third, having previously won the race in 2017 and finishing as runner-up two years later.
Speaking after pulling on the race leader’s yellow jersey for the first time, Longo Borghini said;
“This is a big relief to win this race because it has been a strange spring for me. Now I am back to my normal level. It’s nice to win an overall classification, this has not happened to me many times in my life. It’s only the third tour I have won; this one is up there as one that ranks high.
“We decided to go for the intermediate sprint, and I was fourth so I was like okay, that’s the second place and that’s it. But then all my team-mates kept my morale up, and said we try at the finish and we’ll do the lead-out for you. I was really doubting, but when you see such a team that is motivated and they are really believing in you, just want to give them back everything.
“In the end, they all did a perfect job and Audrey [Cordon-Ragot] led me into the final 500m. I know that in corners I am good, and I let some riders in front of me to take their draft, and I made my own sprint.
“We knew the finale was pretty technical and we studied it this morning with [director] Ina Teutenberg. This is also why in the end I think they all believed I could do it because of the corners. But again, I have to give big thanks to my team Trek – Segafredo.
“Lizzie [Deignan] sent me a nice message yesterday and said remember my sprint in 2019. That was such a close battle again with Kasia Niewiadoma and she made it, so yeah it was nice to hear from her about that.”
Niewiadoma at one point had looked the more likely to snatch the victory from Brown, having attacked on the day’s second ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains climb – amid packed crowds on the Hill in Burford – with an eye on the bonus seconds at the intermediate Pillar Sprint soon afterwards in Carterton.
The former champion picked up a sole bonus second as Brown was first across the line to move three seconds clear of Longo Borghini, and seemingly seal the overall victory.
When a large breakaway of 20 riders then went clear it seemed that any further chance of gaining time had gone but with Team DSM on the hunt for a third stage win of the week for Wiebes and the group too large to control it was brought back.
A group of three – containing Ane Iversen (Team COOP – Hitec Products), Mieke Kröger (Human Powered Health), and Alessia Patuelli (UAE Team ADQ) – then went clear with 48 kilometres remaining and wiped up the bonus seconds from the day’s final Pillar Sprint in Burcot.
The trio were caught with five kilometres remaining coming into the city of Oxford setting up the final sprint. Longo Borghini followed Copponi through the final turn onto St Giles’, just losing the one position as Wiebes sped past both to the line for the victory. Longo Borghini though held on to the crucial third place despite the fast-charging Tereza Neumanova (Liv Racing Xstra) who almost came within a wheel’s width of altering the course of the yellow jersey.
Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM Racing) took home the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey for the second year running, as well as finishing sixth overall, helping her team to the team classification with three riders in the top 10.
“It’s really nice to finish the tour with the GC podium and the mountain jersey,” said Chabbey. “The whole team was committed and so motivated every day to achieve the best. When the atmosphere is like that it’s easy to give our best. Our teamwork and spirit were rewarded with the best team classification. We also know where we can improve, especially in the lead out, but we take a lot of positives from this tour!”
Maike van der Duin (Le Col – Wahoo) finished safely within the bunch to secure the Pillar Sprints classification – a first jersey win in their home tour for the former Drops team.
Top British rider was Becky Storrie (CAMS – Basso) in 15th overall thanks to her top 10 placing on the Black Mountain while winning the overall Adyen Combativity Award for the 2022 race was Grace Brown.
Women's Tour 2022 Top 10
1 Elisa LONGO BORGHINI [ITA] Trek – Segafredo 19:19:07
2 Grace BROWN [AUS] FDJ Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope 19:19:08
3 Katarzyna NIEWIADOMA [POL] Canyon//SRAM Racing 19:19:12
4 Alexandra MANLY [AUS] Team BikeExchange – Jayco 19:19:31
5 Ashleigh MOOLMAN-PASIO [RSA] Team SD Worx 19:19:39
6 Elise CHABBEY [SUI] Canyon//SRAM Racing 19:19:56
7 Kristen FAULKNER [USA] Team BikeExchange – Jayco 19:20:01
8 Veronica EWERS [USA] EF Education – TIBCO – SVB 19:20:52
9 Sofia BERTIZZOLO [ITA] UAE Team ADQ 19:20:57
10 Mikayla HARVEY [NZL] Canyon//SRAM Racing 19:21:03
For full results and final standings, powered by Brother UK, please click here.
PRESS RELEASE
Words by Sweetspot, Images by SWpix.
Updated Daily throughout the Women’s Tour
Friday 10 JUNE 2022 Stage 5
ELISA LONGO BORGHINI SETS UP THRILLING WOMEN’S TOUR FINALE WITH QUEEN STAGE WIN
Reigning Italian road race champion Elisa Longo Borghini won the queen stage of this year’s Women’s Tour atop the Black Mountain in Carmarthenshire on Friday to set up a thrilling finale in the battle to be crowned this year’s overall champion.
Longo Borghini (Trek – Segafredo) outsprinted Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and race leader Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine) at the end of the 7.2-kilometre climb on the edge of the Brecon Beacons.
As a result of the bonus seconds available on the line, Australian rider Brown retained her overall lead for another day, but she goes into Saturday’s final stage level on time with Longo Borghini. Niewiadoma, the 2017 champion, sits just two seconds back.
A maximum of 16 bonus seconds will be available during the Women’s Tour’s concluding stage between Chipping Norton and Oxford.
“I feel like I won already a stage when we won in 2019 with Lizzie [Deignan] so it’s a very nice feeling,” said Longo Borghini following the stage.
“It was very windy up the climb and mostly a head wind so really hard to make the selection. In the end, I just trusted my sprint and I went at 150 to go full gas. I just wanted to win because I wanted to pay off all the teamwork that my team did. We were really committed from the very beginning of the race.
“At the moment I want to relax and enjoy the victory, and then tomorrow is tomorrow. We think about it tomorrow.”
A Trek – Segafredo led peloton, with Ellen van Dijk in particular, putting in a great deal of work to keep the pace high and thin out the peloton approaching the foot of the Black Mountain.
Joss Lowden (Uno-X Pro Cycling) was the first to attack on the climb but couldn’t gain much of an advantage, though the foray combined with attacks on the second ŠKODA Queen of the Mountain earned her the Adyen Combativity Award.
Longo Borghini had several attempts to get away, with Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (Team SD Worx) and Kristen Faulkner (Team BikeExchange – Jayco) also putting in attacks in the final two kilometres, but the windy conditions prevented anyone from establishing a significant advantage.
Only six riders had a chance of taking the stage victory when Longo Borghini launched her sprint. Niewiadoma was initially the only rider who could follow, while Brown managed to pass compatriot Alex Manly (Team BikeExchange – Jayco) in sight of the line to pick up what could prove to be four race-winning bonus second
“It was quite a race into the bottom of it, all the GC riders had the lead outs from their teams. My team had done a lot of work all day so we were down to one rider in the end, but I managed to stay at the front. Then the wind neutralised the climb a little bit from too many attacks but it was still hard, really hard in the last kilometre,” said Brown.
“There was a bit of doubt because I knew that if I wanted to stay ahead in time then I needed to come second on Elisa’s wheel with no gap, but then it worked out that if I came third we were equal. I didn’t know how it worked in terms of countback, but I retained the jersey.
“It will be really cool, the Cotswolds are almost a second home, because my husband’s family are from the area, so I’m going to have a lot of support out on the road and it will be special to be in the leader’s jersey for tomorrow’s race.
“I’m not quite sure how we are going to approach tomorrow yet, whether we go for the sprint bonuses. I also have a really strong sprinter teammate in Clara [Copponi], who won the first stage, so she might be able to take the sprint bonuses for me, which takes a little bit of stress off my shoulders.”
Third overall at two seconds back is Niewiadoma, who finished as runner up to Lizzie Deignan in 2019 having gone into the final stage level on time. The Canyon//SRAM Racing rider won the Women’s Tour’s last summit finish in Warwickshire three years ago.
“On the final climb, I knew it would be impossible to ride away because of the headwind where those behind you could benefit so much from being on the wheel. I was waiting for the final kilometre. Unfortunately, I had some issues in the final which made it more challenging but I just had to adapt and do my best. I’m a bit sad not to get the stage win but it’s even closer now on GC so let’s see what happens tomorrow,” smiled Niewiadoma.
Her team-mate Elise Chabbey is also champion-elect of the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains classification for a second year.
“At the start, I was a little worried when [Christine] Majerus was in the early move, but the team helped close the gap and I could jump to her on the top of the first climb. I got a good number of points on the second one and it’s nice I secured the jersey,” said Chabbey.
Likewise the Pillar Sprints jersey is destined for Maike van der Duin (Le Col – Wahoo), who has worn the red jersey backed by cycling training app Pillar since stage one, and holds a seven point lead.
Top Brit on stage five was CAMS – Basso rider Becky Storrie, who finished ninth on the Black Mountain at 21 seconds, and as a result moves up to 15th overall and the best British rider in the Women’s Tour.
For full results and standings, powered by Brother UK, please click here.
PRESS RELEASE
Words by Sweetspot, Images by SWpix.
Updated Daily throughout the Women’s Tour
Thursday 09 JUNE 2022 Stage 4
GRACE BROWN TAKES STAGE WIN AND RACE LEAD IN WALES
Australian Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) moved into the Women’s Tour race lead with two days remaining after sprinting to victory in Welshpool on Thursday.
Brown edged out 2017 champion Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek – Segafredo) to claim the stage four win having initiated the move that took the trio clear five kilometres from the line.
She now leads Niewiadoma by four seconds and Longo Borghini by six going into Friday’s queen stage in Carmarthenshire that finishes atop the Black Mountain.
“I had planned before today that I wanted to be aggressive in the final,” said Brown. “It’s cool when you play out your plan and it comes off so I was excited, and also I guess a bit of relief because this is my first win of the year and I’ve been wanting it for a little while.
“We were working consistently most of the time. I guess there was some points where we took the gas off a little bit, but any time that we heard that the gap come down, we notched it up a little. I think when the roads were more climby we got a bit more time, obviously around the lake, where it was flat, the time started coming down quite a bit.
“I wasn’t too concerned [on being joined by Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini], it was actually quite good because you’re more likely to stay away if you’ve got three. Out of everyone there I think I can beat those two in a sprint, so I was quite happy about it actually. It was nice to have them in the final.
“Obviously I want to be up there on the final climb [tomorrow], I think that’s what it’s going to come down to. I’m happy now that I’ve got a little bit of buffer and time, then if I finish with the top climbers then I can hopefully retain the jersey.”
Brown was in a group of 10 riders that went clear on the Hirnant Bank ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains climb approaching Lake Vrynwy. Despite the drive of a Pfeiffer Georgi-led Team DSM that whittled down the peloton and kept threatening to close the gap, it wasn’t to be a hat trick of wins for Lorena Wiebes.
With around five kilometres to go Brown hit out on a small rise to go solo, with Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma the only riders to react as the group fragmented, catching the Australian inside three kilometres to go.
The trio worked together, holding a chasing quartet at 10 seconds, with Longo Borghini leading out the sprint on Broad Street
Speaking afterwards Longo Borghini said; “It was a really lumpy stage, there were some really hard [ŠKODA] QoMs in the middle of the stage and then some more, let’s say flat parts in the end, but still uncategorised hilly parts. It was really really hard. I like the stage here and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
“With the team we chased back the breakaway. It was away and then the team director told me to go on the first [ŠKODA] QoM, and there we set up a breakaway that stayed away until the end. It was always really close to the bunch but we managed to stay away.
“I’m excited about tomorrow. It’s going to be nice to finish up on the Black Mountain.”
The ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey changed shoulders moving to 2021 winner Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM Racing), who now has a 14 point lead over former holder Christine Majerus (Team SDWorx).
Le Col – Wahoo rider Maike van der Duin extended her lead in the Pillar Sprints classification thanks to taking a point at the opening contest at Chirk, and with a lead of seven points will hold the jersey going into the final stage regardless of points garnered in stage five.
For full results and standings, powered by Brother UK, please click here.
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Words by Sweetspot, Images by SWpix.
Updated Daily throughout the Women’s Tour
WEDNESDAY 8 JUNE 2022
LORENA WIEBES TAKES WOMEN’S TOUR LEAD IN GLOUCESTER
Lorena Wiebes made light of inclement weather and undulating terrain around the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire to make it back-to-back wins in this year’s Women’s Tour in Gloucester on Wednesday.
The Team DSM rider once again proved that she is the fastest sprinter in the peloton as she capitalised on an impressive lead-out from team-mate and local rider Pfeiffer Georgi to comfortably take the victory ahead of Alex Manly (Team BikeExchange – Jayco) and Coryn Labecki (Team Jumbo – Visma).
Victory moves Wiebes – who has now won four of the last six Women’s Tour stages dating back to last year’s race – into the leaders’ yellow jersey and Breast Cancer Now points jersey.
Wiebes’ chances of doubling up appeared to be slim with 20 kilometres remaining, as she was dropped by the peloton under the pressure of Kasia Niewiadoma’s Canyon//SRAM Racing team on an uncategorised climb near Littledean. However, a lack of coherency in the reduced front group – which contained all of the pre-race favourites – allowed Wiebes and her DSM team-mates to rejoin the front group with nine kilometres remaining.
“Today was a hard stage, with attacks from the beginning of the race,” expressed Wiebes. “The girls did a great job reacting to them all. On the first climbs we were in good position and Leah [Kirchmann] and Franzi [Koch] kept the pace up because of the breakaway. On the second last climb I was with Charlotte [Kool] and Pfeiffer [Georgi] in the second group but when we started the last climb they brought it back to the first group. The peloton then split again and Megan [Jastrab] and I ended up in the group of chasers. Megan did a really strong effort to bring me back to the lead group and things then slowed. In the last five kilometres Pfeiffer and Megan came back to the front and did a great lead out in finale and I’m really happy to finish it off for them. I’m really proud of the girls again and all the work they did today. We will go all-in tomorrow to try and make it three.”
Team DSM coach Albert Timmer added: “I think we can be more than happy about today. It was a hard stage today and was not easy. On the last climbs it exploded completely. We had Megan and Lorena in the chasing group behind the 18 riders and Megan did an amazing job to help close it, it was really impressive, with Pfeiffer coming back in the last ten kilometres which was really nice. It meant we could do a proper lead out with Lorena finishing it off in style. I’m more than happy with the teamwork we showed today and of course the result at the end.”
Making a mark on the stage early on was Rijenna Markus (Team Jumbo – Visma) whose solo break lasted for 50+ kilometres, before being reeled by Christine Majerus (Team SDWorx) and Gladys Verhulst (Le Col – Wahoo) on the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains climb of Speech House where the race behind started to fracture.
On the uncategorised climb that followed a group of around 15 riders joined Markus and Majerus at the front, but with no riders from Team DSM present, Wiebes’ team worked hard bringing the race back together with nine kilometres remaining, as a sharp downpour hit the race and Gloucester Docks finish area.
Top Brit on stage three was Lizzie Holden (Le Col – Wahoo) in 16th, who also sits 22nd overall at 20 seconds in arrears, while her team-mate Maike van der Duin still holds the Pillar Sprints jersey.
Majerus continues to hold the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey but is now equal on points with last year’s winner Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM Racing) as the race heads to Wales, with two days of tougher climbs ahead.
For full results and standings, powered by Brother UK, please click here.
PRESS RELEASE
Words by Sweetspot, Images by SWpix.
Updated Daily throughout the Women’s Tour
TUESDAY 7 JUNE 2022 Stage 2
DOMINANT LORENA WIEBES SPRINTS TO STAGE TWO VICTORY IN HARLOW
Team DSM’s Lorena Wiebes demonstrated her unrivalled speed once again as she sprinted to win stage two of this year’s Women’s Tour in Harlow on Tuesday.
Wiebes, who won back-to-back stages of last year’s race, comfortably took the victory along Third Avenue after an impressively-timed lead-out by her team-mates. In the fight for second, Movistar Team’s Barbara Guarischi pipped Canyon//SRAM Racing rider Shari Bossuyt to the line.
Stage one winner Clara Copponi placed sixth and retained her overall lead. By virtue of the time bonuses she accrued at the day’s Pillar intermediate sprints, Maike Van der Duin (Le Col – Wahoo) moved up to second overall, three seconds behind Copponi. Wiebes now sits third, a further second back.
“Today was not a really hard stage and there was quite a good speed in the bunch,” explained a smiling Wiebes at the finish. “We had no problems today, we were good together in the front at the intermediate sprints and over the [ŠKODA] QOMs. At six kilometres to go there was a crash and only Franzi [Koch] and I were in the small peloton after it but luckily Megan [Jastrab] and Charlotte [Kool] came back.
“We were a bit stuck in the middle of the road before the sprint so I found my own way out a bit and in the last straight the girls found me again and we did a really nice lead out; they set me up perfectly. We can be super proud of ourselves and we’re looking forward to the next stages now.”
In addition to the overall lead Copponi keeps the Breast Cancer Now Points jersey with a five point lead over Wiebes, while Christine Majerus (Team SDWorx) continues to hold the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey, though now with just a single point advantage over Gladys Verhulst (Le Col – Wahoo).
Verhulst and Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) had gone clear with just under 19 kilometres remaining as the race approached the final categorised climb at Stonnards Hill, before being caught with 2.5 kilometres out from Harlow to set up the fast finish on Third Avenue.
The only other significant action of the day had seen Sammie Stuart (CAMS – Basso) make a solo move that at one stage saw her gain over a minutes advantage, the second day running that the British team took the Adyen Combativity Award having been the only squad to show significant interest in attacking.
“I didn’t expect it to pan out like that really,” said Stuart afterwards, who only joined the team last week and works as a firefighter with Lancashire Fire & Rescue. “I’m mega happy winning that award today. It was hot out there, so it was very hard, and I was certainly on my own out there because my comms had broken as well so I had no information coming in – all I had was the board each time the motorbike came past. It was difficult but enjoyable.
“We have come here to see what we can do, and I think we are proving ourselves as a team. Dani [Shrosbree] won the award yesterday, I’ve won it today, so I think we have put CAM – Basso up there with the rest of the teams.”
For full results and standings, powered by Brother UK, please click here.
PRESS RELEASE
Words by Sweetspot, Images by SWpix
MONDAY 6 JUNE 2022 Stage 1
CLARA COPPONI WINS WOMEN’S TOUR OPENER IN BURY ST EDMUNDS
Frenchwoman Clara Copponi claimed the first victory of her road racing career as she sprinted to win the opening stage of the Women’s Tour in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on Monday.
The FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope rider pipped Italian duo Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ) and Elena Cecchini (Team SD Worx) to the line in a reduced bunch sprint after a final-kilometre crash removed pre-stage favourite Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) from contention.
Copponi, a reigning world champion on the track, claimed the first yellow leader’s jersey of this year’s race as a result of her victory. Having finished third overall in last year’s Women’s Tour, she also leads the Breast Cancer Now points classification going into stage two.
“Today I feel good, confident. I am excited for the rest of the week. I love England!” said Copponi afterwards, saying to defending her lead in stage two she would need to “Win the sprint, again, I will do my best and we will see day by day
“I did my best and I’m so happy. I’m so excited, it’s a great day, it’s my first victory.”
Finishing fourth was Canyon//SRAM Racing rider Alice Barnes, who takes the honour of Best British Rider, an award she won overall in 2021, after the opening day.
“My teammates tried to help me and we had aimed to be patient,” said Barnes, “But I was blocked to get to them, so I made the choice to go alone in the final. I was able to find my way close to the front before the roundabout but I have to admit we’d already been slipping a lot all day on the wet roads and that didn’t give me a lot of confidence. The riders ahead of me took the left-hand corner too hot and crashed. I was able to find my way through and did my best in the final 100m.”
Christine Majerus (Team SDWorx) leads the ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains category having won both the contests in Suffolk at Brantham and Bildeston, while British team Le Col – Wahoo take the Pillar Sprints jersey with Maike van der Duin, who won both intermediate contests during the stage.
For full results and standings, powered by Brother UK, please click here.
(Due to Covid Protocol, I am unable to cover this years Women’s Tour)
