Sofie van Rooijen triumphs in Poland as Scarlett Souren joins the podium

Sofie van Rooijen

VolkerWessels enjoyed a successful day in Poland, with Sofie van Rooijen taking victory in the second stage of the Princess Anna Vasa Tour. Her teammate, Scarlett Souren, secured third place, completing a strong showing for the team.

The Princess Anna Vasa Tour, a 2.2-level stage race, presented the riders with a flat 116-kilometre route around Golub-Dobrzyń on Friday. The opening stage, a short team time trial, was won by the women of Visma | Lease a Bike, featuring riders like Riejanne Markus and Carlijn Achtereekte.

Van Rooijen crossed the finish line first, followed by Poland’s Karolina Kumiega, with the 20-year-old Souren taking third. This victory marks van Rooijen’s third win of the season, having already claimed victories at the Drentse Acht van Westerveld and the EPZ Omloop van Borsele.

The day’s racing began at 16:00 with 117 riders departing from the Plac 1000-lecia in Golub-Dobrzyń. The peloton, initially calm, quickly became animated with attacks from various teams, including TKK Pacific Nestle Fitness Toruń, Canyon SRAM Generation, and MAT Atom Deweloper Wrocław. The active riders kept the peloton lively, especially with strong support from the teammates of race leader Riejanne Markus.

The route included three local laps of 38.6 kilometres each, featuring mountain and intermediate sprints. Dominika Włodarczyk, who had won the polka dot jersey in the previous two editions, dominated the mountain sprints, securing an early lead. However, she faced stiff competition, particularly on the final climb where Margaux Vigie of Visma | Lease a Bike outperformed her.

The intermediate sprints, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Fryderyk Chopin’s visit to Szafarnia, saw fierce competition. The first sprint was claimed by Karolina Kumiega, followed by Maja Tracka and Riejanne Markus. Scarlett Souren took the second sprint, edging out Markus and Kumiega.

In the closing stages, a breakaway by Włodarczyk and Anastasiya Kolesava of Canyon SRAM Generation was reeled in by the peloton with about 1500 metres remaining. The VolkerWessels team executed a flawless lead-out, enabling van Rooijen to take the win, with Kumiega finishing second and Souren third.

Reflecting on her victory, van Rooijen said, “It was a tough race with many attacks, but our team worked perfectly to control the peloton. Crossing the line first feels fantastic.” Souren added, “I’m thrilled to share the podium with Sofie. We showed our strength as a team today.”

Markus retained the overall lead, but the battle for the top positions remains fierce as the Princess Anna Vasa Tour continues.

2024 Princess Anna Vasa Tour Stage 2 result

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