Strong team performance Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women at Tour de la Semois
After a promising opening stage, in which four riders from Team Visma | Lease a Bike finished in the top sixteen, the yellow-and-black brigade was determined to make an attempt at the overall victory. After a breakaway group including Mijntje Geurts and Rosita Reijnhout was caught, De Vries saw her chance to go on the attack with six others. The riders worked well together and gained a maximum two-minute lead.In the last ten kilometres, the peloton quickly approached and De Vries made an ultimate attempt to stay ahead. The Dutchwoman gave it her all, but eventually stranded 200 metres from the line. Thalita de Jong sprinted to victory and Karlijn Swinkels took the overall win. Nooijen finished sixth in the standings due to her fifth place. De Vries became ninth.
“We rode with the intention of winning and unfortunately we came up 200 meters short.”
Rutger Tijssen
“This is really bummer”, De Vries said. “When we started the last steep climb and still had a minute-and-a-half lead, I thought: we can succeed. I decided to attack, but when everyone then rejoined, the cooperation was completely gone. The peloton approached quickly and I then did an all-or-nothing attempt to stay away. I got one rider with me, but 200 metres from the finish we were caught at great speed. That’s a shame, but we really raced to win.”Sports director Rutger Tijssen also looks back on the final stage with a positive feeling. “We were in control of the race from the start. We set up the attacks and countered where necessary. The girls executed the plan almost to perfection. We rode with the intention of winning and unfortunately we came up 200 meters short. That’s just part of sport”, Tijssen said. “Yesterday we made some mistakes and today we showed fighting spirit. The girls have taken a very big step forward and I am very proud of that.”
AG Tour de la Semois
Stage 2
Result
Rankings
Result
1
Thalita de Jong
Lotto Dstny Ladies
03:08:00
2
Karlijn Swinkels
UAE Development Team
+00:00:00
3
Mareille Meijering
Movistar Team
+00:00:00
5
Lieke Nooijen
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:00
13
Femke de Vries
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:11
18
Rosita Reijnhout
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:13
25
Mijntje Geurts
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:19
42
Margaux Vigie
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:42
–
Maud Oudeman
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
DNF
Rankings
1
Karlijn Swinkels
UAE Development Team
06:07:42
2
Thalita de Jong
Lotto Dstny Ladies
+00:00:00
3
Maëva Squiban
Arkéa – B&B Hotels Women
+00:00:04
6
Lieke Nooijen
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:10
9
Femke de Vries
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:21
12
Rosita Reijnhout
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:23
26
Mijntje Geurts
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:51
50
Margaux Vigie
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:13:59
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Subjects
Cycling – Women’s Team
Femke de Vries
Rutger Tijssen
1
