Georgia Baker was declared the winner of stage 1 at the Tour of Chongming Island after Kathrin Schweinberger was relegated for irregular sprinting, handing the Australian her first victory of the race and continuing Liv AlUla Jayco’s strong late-season form. Sofie van Rooijen of UAE Team ADQ was promoted to second place, with Mia Griffin of Roland Le Dévoluy taking third.
Flat opening stage set for the sprinters
The first stage of the three-day Women’s WorldTour race covered 108.6 kilometres around the flat roads of Chongming Island, featuring just 86 metres of elevation gain. As expected, the terrain provided little opportunity for climbers, setting up an inevitable sprint finish to open the final stage race of the WorldTour season.
The day’s early breakaway formed within the first 30 kilometres, consisting of Tamara Dronova-Balabolina of Roland Le Dévoluy, Yanina Kuskova of Laboral Kutxa–Fundacion Euskadi, Marina Garau of BePink–Imatra–Bongioanni, Laura Lizette Sander of Team Coop–Repsol and Yelizaveta Sklyarova of Born to Win BTC City Ljubljana Zhiraf. The group established a modest lead, but the sprinters’ teams were never far behind.
Lidl–Trek, VolkerWessels and UAE Team ADQ shared control of the chase, keeping the gap within two minutes before gradually reeling in the escape. With ten kilometres remaining, the break was caught, setting the stage for the high-speed showdown that had always seemed inevitable.
Fast and furious finale
As the race entered the final kilometre, Lidl–Trek took the front for Elisa Balsamo, with UAE Team ADQ organising behind for Van Rooijen. Human Powered Health also positioned well, with Austrian champion Schweinberger waiting to launch her sprint.
In the final 800 metres on the wide finishing straight, Schweinberger powered to the front and crossed the line first, celebrating what appeared to be her maiden Women’s WorldTour victory. However, after post-race review, the jury relegated her for deviating from her sprinting line and obstructing Van Rooijen in the run to the finish.
The decision elevated Baker, who had finished second across the line, to stage winner, giving the Australian her first win of the Asian autumn campaign. Van Rooijen was promoted to second, while Griffin completed the podium after a strong finish in the final metres.
A controlled performance from the peloton’s sprinters
For Baker and Liv AlUla Jayco, the victory confirmed their consistency on flat terrain, with the team managing the finale perfectly to position their sprinter for the decisive effort. Baker’s precision and composure ensured she was in the right place to capitalise when the result changed hands after the finish.
The remaining two stages are expected to follow a similar script, with both the 128.6-kilometre stage from Shanghai to Chongming and the 111.4-kilometre finale at Chongming New City Park offering further opportunities for the fastest riders in the peloton.
2025 Tour of Chongming Island stage 1 result
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