As if the last race of the season needed more drama, pouring rain made a mess of the course in Loudenvielle on the morning of race day and the day before. Good thing Harnden doesn’t mind a bit of mud.
She took fourth on the day after winning Stage 1. More importantly, she was five placings better than Courdurier. Harnden beat the reigning overall champ on three of four stages and earned enough points to retake the top of the overall standings. After a brilliant season-long battle, Harnden finished just 21 points better than the Frenchwoman.
“She’s one of the most, if not the most consistent rider there has been,” Harnden said of Courdurier. “She’s won the overall three times. With other people, you can kind of pick and choose where you know you’re gonna beat them, or be stronger than them, but with Isa you genuinely just gotta go faster [laughs], which is a tall order because she’s been the fastest for a long time.”
