Maike van der Duin impressed on the first stage of The Women’s Tour, winning both intermediate sprints to take the red jersey. She also secured enough time bonuses for third overall. The Dutchwoman was the clear winner in both intermediate sprints today as the race wove its way from Colchester to Bury St Edmunds. The team rode well, with Maike’s teammates putting in a big turn on the front to keep her in position.
Gladys Verhulst also saw success on the road, but in the QOM competition, finishing the day in third place on the classification after fighting hard on the two category three climbs. Lizzie Holden gave us a little insight into the team’s strategy.
“We were committed from the start of the day to go for the sprints/QOM competitions, which Maike is now leading and Gladys third in the QOM competition.
“So although we didn’t get the whole end result we hoped for at the start of the day, I think we still have some things to be proud of.”