Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women Complete First Stage of Santos Tour Down Under

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women completed the first stage of the Santos Tour Down Under unscathed, despite scorching temperatures that reached almost forty degrees Celsius in Hahndorf. According to the sports director, Jos van Emden, they had a plan to make it a sprint and were satisfied with the team’s performance despite a slight mishap towards the finish line. Van Emden commented, “I’m still happy with today. It’s the first race of the year for everyone, and you can’t expect the sprint train to be perfectly coordinated. We will make sure that we continue to get that right. I saw some good things today.”

After sixteen years of being a cyclist, Van Emden experienced a new role as the sporting director and expressed his satisfaction, saying, “It’s completely different, isn’t it? But I like it. It tastes like more.” Looking ahead to the next stages of the Tour Down Under, Van Emden anticipates a change in dynamics, stating, “There will be no more sprint stages in the next few days. Some riders will be given a free role. Hopefully, we can follow the attacks and keep up on the climbs.”

The stage ended with a bunch sprint, and Lieke Nooijen finished fifteenth behind winner Wollaston. Despite this, the team remains optimistic about their performance, with opportunities for improvement ahead.