The Baloise Ladies Tour kicked off with a prologue that was impressively clinched by Charlotte Kool. Lucinda Brand came tantalisingly close with the same time but slower by thousandths of a second, so ultimately had to settle for the second spot, whilst Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds secured third place. Kool, hence, steps into the tour as the initial leader. For new Coop-Hitec Products rider Jenny Rissveds, it’s another sign that committing to more racing on the road was a great idea. The Swede won Gracia Orlová earlier this season.
The Baloise Ladies Tour commenced in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening, with the city of Vlissingen providing the backdrop for a 2.6-kilometre prologue. Despite the level yet blustery route, Charlotte Kool promptly posted a cracking time of three minutes and six seconds. Lucinda Brand, who also took off in the initial stages, narrowly missed the top spot by a whisker of a second. However, the competitors who followed failed to pose any real challenge to Kool.
The only perceived threats came were due to come from Emma Norsgaard and Brodie Chapman, who were among the last to start. Norsgaard recorded a respectable time but failed to rival Kool, finishing in sixth place. Chapman suffered a puncture early in her ride, which cost her a significant amount of time. As a result, Kool comfortably claimed victory, her first at the Baloise Ladies Tour since 2021.
Tomorrow’s stage at Zwevegem should come down to a sprint where Charlotte Kool will be the favourite to take victory again.
“I know this course really well as our holiday home is close by, so some good memories on this boulevard helped make me fly today. With the team we also made some crucial decisions about the wind conditions which made a big difference, so that really helped me too. I’m really proud to get the first win in the new colours today.”
Charlotte Kool
Baloise Ladies Tour Prologue result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
