Lieke Nooijen wins third stage of Princess Anna Vasa Tour

Lieke-Nooijen-Katarzyna-Wilkos-Dominika-Wlodarczyk-Juliana-Londono

Lieke Nooijen claimed victory in the third stage of the Princess Anna Vasa Tour, a 115-kilometre race from and to Golub-Dobrzyล„, featuring five mountain sprints. Nooijen, representing Team Visma | Lease a Bike, outsprinted Polish rider Katarzyna Wilkos to secure the win, taking over the leader’s jersey from her teammate Riejanne Markus.

The stage began at 11:00, with the riders facing a challenging route that included three climbs up to the Golub Castle and two in Ciechocin. The course comprised two large 50-kilometre laps followed by two shorter 7.5-kilometre laps.

From the start, the race saw significant action with an early seven-rider breakaway forming. Dominika Wล‚odarczyk won the first mountain sprint, and soon after, Selam Amha Gerefiel broke away solo, achieving a lead of up to 1.5 minutes. Gerefiel managed to secure the bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint but was eventually reeled in by the peloton.

The race continued to be dynamic, with Karolina Kumiฤ™ga actively defending her points classification lead. At the second mountain sprint near Golub Castle, an 11-rider chase group, including the general classification leader Riejanne Markus and notable riders like Olga Wankiewicz and Argiro Milaki, attempted to bridge the gap to Gerefiel. However, this move did not last, and the breakaway was caught shortly after the third mountain sprint.

With 20 kilometres to go, Malwina Mul launched a solo attack, maintaining a gap of 10-15 seconds before being caught on the final climb to Golub Castle. This set the stage for Carlijn Achtereekteโ€™s solo effort, which saw her leading until just five kilometres from the finish.

As the race approached the finale, Team Visma | Lease a Bike took control, setting up Nooijen for the sprint. She started her sprint early, managing to stay ahead of Wilkos and Colombian rider Juliana Londoรฑo. โ€œThis is super cool. I am very happy that I was able to finish today,โ€ Nooijen commented. โ€œWe rode a very active race with the team. When Carlijn attacked in the last ten kilometres, we didn’t have to do much in the back. We were able to play the game well.โ€

Reflecting on her sprint, Nooijen said, โ€œThis was a finish that suited me. I deliberately started the sprint very early because I knew: the earlier I start the sprint, the better it is for myself. One rider came very close, but luckily I stayed just ahead of her. At first, I didn’t quite realise it, but now it’s slowly starting to sink in. I’m very happy with it.โ€

Nooijenโ€™s win marks the third consecutive victory for Dutch riders in the Princess Anna Vasa Tour. She now leads the general classification and will start the final 13-kilometre individual time trial in the leader’s jersey. โ€œI’m really looking forward to that. Riejanne and I are the top favourites, and we will do everything we can to take home the jersey,โ€ Nooijen added.

2024 Princess Anna Vasa Tour Stage 3 result

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