Team SD Worx had the stage well under control. Christine Majerus was part of the early breakaway, which was only caught in the local tour. In the peloton the team was well grouped together at the front. But at 22.5 kilometres from the finish the situation suddenly looked bleak when Lotte Kopecky, together with Lorena Wiebes and Marlen Reusser, crashed in the descent. “I think Lorena hit a wheel in front of her. It happened at very high speed, so I didn’t have time to react anymore and flew full over,” said Lotte Kopecky. “I got a hard hit on my head, but I’m okay.”
After which the Belgian rider gave full pursuit. “I felt quite good today, so I wanted to sprint. Whether that effort affected my sprint, I don’t know. The crash gave me an adrenaline shot, which wasn’t bad. Plantur-Pura offered me some help to get back, which I thank them for. I knew that there were only two short climbs left. So I fought to get back.”
After which she sprinted to her second podium finish in this Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. “I finished third, but there was more in it. I was in a good position befor the S-corner, but then the Trek-Segafredo sprint train suddenly came through on the left, so I was trapped and lost some positions. I had to keep my legs still, then I went full on and finally sprinted to third place. This gives me a better feeling.”
The Team SD Worx classification riders did not get involved in the crash. “This was a very fast stage, but we stayed together well as a team. Demi Vollering and I are in good shape. We are already looking forward to tomorrow,” Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio said in a brief reaction.
Marlen Reusser was taken to hospital for an extra check-up as a precaution.