Mylene de Zoete of Ceratizit-WNT sprinted to victory in the opening stage of the 2024 Tour of Chongming Island, edging out Tereza Neumanova in a dramatic sprint finish. The 108.7km stage, which started and ended at New City Park, saw riders tackle the flat roads of Chongming Island under wet conditions, leading to a chaotic and fast-paced finale.
The stage was marked by constant breakaway attempts, none of which could hold off the determined peloton. A group of 17 riders managed to escape with 39km to go, but they were soon caught after VolkerWessels took up the chase. Among the attackers was Thi That Nguyen, who launched a late solo move, but her efforts were neutralised by the sprinters’ teams just 2km from the finish.
As the riders approached the final 900 metres, UAE Team ADQ led out Neumanovรก, who looked poised to take the win. However, De Zoete surged up the right-hand side in the closing 25 metres, passing the Czech rider to claim the first yellow jersey of the race. Silvia Zanardi secured third in a photo finish, rounding out the podium.
“It was chaotic, as always,” De Zoete told Cyclingnews. “I lost the girls just before the last corner, but then I saw Marta [Lach] up ahead in the attack and thought, โokay, thatโs niceโ. We caught Marta in the last 300 metres, and then I started sprinting.”
Ceratizit-WNT had already made their mark earlier in the stage, with De Zoete, Lach, and Kathrin Schweinberger all gaining time bonuses in the intermediate sprints. “It was the plan to sprint for the bonus seconds with several girls because we are all fast, and we wanted to see how weโd do in those sprints,” De Zoete explained.
Despite narrowly missing out on the win, Neumanovรก was pleased with her performance after a challenging season. “Iโm very happy with this podium because itโs been a difficult season for me, with physical problems causing a lot of stress,” she said. “The win was very close, and while it’s a bit disappointing not to have taken it, I think we can be proud of our performance.”
Looking ahead, De Zoete confirmed that Ceratizit-WNTโs strategy would remain unchanged for the upcoming stages. “I think tomorrow we will do the same as today, also for the intermediate sprints, but again with several girls, and then sprint for the stage as well,” she said.
The Tour of Chongming Island continues with stage 2 on 16th October, a 129km flat route expected to end in another bunch sprint.
2024 Tour of Chongming Island Stage 1 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency