Charlotte Kool sprints to 2nd place in shortened Baloise Ladies Tour Stage 3A

The first of a double-header on Saturday at the Baloise Ladies Tour saw the peloton scheduled to take on a short 95 kilometre long stage. However, a large crash which unfortunately saw Silje Bader abandon the race, saw the stage neutralised. Once things restarted the route was further shortened and would end on the first passage of the line. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL rode well as a unit as the kilometres ticked down. Heading onto the main climb of the stage, Charlotte Kool suffered an untimely puncture. A swift bike change from the mechanics and help from Eglantine Rayer and Megan Jastrab saw her return to the main peloton, where Pfeiffer Georgi had been marking out the attacks. In the remainder of the stage the team were once again active in following moves but nothing went away and it came down to a bunch sprint. Peeling off one-by-one, the team delivered Kool into a good position with last lead-out Rachele Barbieri dropping her off inside 200 metres to go. Kool opened up her sprint and produced a good kick but was beaten to the line by Wiebes, with the Team dsm-firmenich PostNL rider taking second place.
Speaking after the stage Kool said: “Today was a bit of a weird morning stage. We started with a big crash and unfortunately lost Silje. Things started again but with only 55 kilometres left until the finish line. I got a puncture at the worse moment just before the climb and I had a hard time, but luckily I made it back to the front with the help of Megan and Eglantine. Things then settled down and we headed for a bunch sprint. The lead-out was really good but I just missed some good legs today for that top step.”