VAN DER BREGGEN (SDW) OVERTAKES THE MOVISTAR TEAM EUROPEAN CHAMPION, NEW WORLDTOUR LEADER, IN LAS LAGUNAS, AFTER A GREAT ESCAPE BY AALERUD -6TH ON THE STAGE, 5TH CG- TOGETHER WITH PATIÑO AND ERIĆ
Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) closed her particular ‘tournée’ through Spain, positioning herself as the new leader of the UCI Women’s WorldTour -and, in the absence of confirmation, she will be world number one next Tuesday- after finishing 2nd in the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas 2021 , that celebrated this Sunday an expected and decisive high finish in the Neila Lagoons, where Anna van der Breggen (SDW) won.
The telephone squad was once again the undisputed protagonist of the Castilian round, playing on the attack and placing in a group of 30 riders, before Collado de Vilviestre (3rd), three of its cyclists: Jelena Erić, Paula Patiño and Katrine Aalerud . The Norwegian passed the selection -of fourteen- in the port prior to Neila and then went on the attack in the final stretch of that climb, heading together with Koppenburg (RLY) the test to the hard ramps of El Portón, 1 km from the end .
At that moment, Van Vleuten and Van der Breggen caught up with a great Katrine -6th on the finish line, 5th overall- and played another of their particular duels, again with a victory for VDB in the sprint over ‘Miek’. A Van Vleuten that, after a well-deserved rest and a first concentration in height, will begin to prepare the challenge of the Olympic Games, with two previous stops: the Dutch National (June 18-19) and La Course (June 26).
STATEMENTS / Annemiek van Vleuten:
“You always want to win, but I think we have done things well and that I can already be very happy with this 2nd place and also with the WorldTour jersey, which in my opinion means or is more important than winning a race, since it means that you have won tests or been at the top for much of the calendar. We have tried everything to take the race and the team has played its tricks very well, sending Katrine, Jelena and Paula ahead and seeking to break the superiority of other teams on the attack. In the end I was able to hold out with Anna and I tried to pass her on that final corner but it was simply better. As I say, satisfied with the second place ”.
Cover image (c): Photo Gomez Sport