The Trek-Segafredo time trial specialist didn’t expect a result in the short, technical race against the clock
In the short, technical time trial that kicked off the Simac Ladies Tour (formally Boels Ladies Tour), Ellen van Dijk came closest to knocking compatriot Marianne Vos off the hot seat, crossing the line five seconds behind Vos’s time.
Vos, an earlier starter, had set the bar high, finishing the 2.4-kilometre test in 3 minutes and 1 second. In the end, Vos withstood all challenges to take the win, with Ellen coming within a fistful of seconds, stopping the clock in 3:06.
“I am happy with the result,” said van Dijk, “Of course, you always want to win, but I didn’t expect to win here just because it was a very technical course. It was nine corners in two kilometres, so not something that I like. I am not the fastest where it’s just accelerating-braking, accelerating-braking.”
It was a good start to the six-day race that includes two individual time trials – which will play a big part in determining the overall classification – and the remaining stages tailored to the sprinters and those antagonists that can take advantage of opportunities.
“I am happy with this start, a good start, and I am especially looking forward to the longer time trial Thursday,” added Van Dijk. “Last week I tested a new setup for my TT bike with the team, and I am happy with it, so I am looking forward to trying it out Thursday. I didn’t really get to test it today with all the accelerations out of the saddle.
“Like I said, I didn’t expect to do well in a prologue like this, so I am happy with second place. I am looking forward to the rest of the week.”
I think it went quite well, but Marianne was just better on something like this. [Five] seconds is a lot in two kilometers, so she was really the best today, and I was the best of the rest.
Trek-Segafredo has come with a team ready to play ball in the Simac Ladies Tour: Van Dijk for the time trials and to play antagonist, and the fast legs of Chloe Hosking, Amalie Dideriksen and Letizia Paternoster to take care of the sprint endings. Look for the team to be mixing it up in the top results every day.