Sofia Bertizzolo finished eighth in the Navarra Women’s Elite Classics on Friday evening. In the Spanish race (125 km), with start and finish in Pamplona, our Italian rider sprinted to a fourth place. A group of three had crossed the line six seconds earlier. Arlenis Sierra won.
“It was full gas from the start. We rode in beautiful surroundings, but I have to say I didn’t enjoy it much because all I saw was the wheel of my teammates in front of me. The course went up and down all the time, and there was wind. And with cobblestones, the race sometimes felt like a spring classic”, says Sofia Bertizzolo.
Soraya Paladin attacked in the run-up to the final. She rode solo for a while. Marta Bastianelli and Rachel Langdon joined her later. The three were not able to enjoy the breakaway for very long. “After that there were some longer climbs, one steeper than the other. It was a very open race. Marta Jaskulska and Sabrina Stultiens reacted well to the attacks. Closer to the final, Pauliena Rooijakkers did an excellent job for the team in front of the bunch.”
A peloton of about 25 riders entered the deep final. “I wanted to try it in the sprint then, although I wasn’t really fresh anymore because of the hard race. Just over one kilometre from the finish line, Annemiek van Vleuten attacked on a slope. I tried to follow, but couldn’t get close. I stayed behind the first chasers. In the sprint for fourth place, I didn’t have much energy left and didn’t get further than eighth place.”
LONGER STAY IN SPAIN
Liv Racing continues its stay in Spain. Next Tuesday is the Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria. The Vuelta a Burgos Feminas starts on Thursday. Sports director Lars Boom: “Firstly, we are going to recover well on Saturday. We have had two races quite late in the day. Sunday we will do a short recon of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas.”
Photo credits: Cor Vos