Stage 4
6| Paula Andrea PATIÑO BEDOYA
Paula Patiño (Movistar Team): “We are very happy with how the race has played out so far”
I’ve felt quite good. It’s been yet another flat, windy stage. We did some great teamwork as we pulled off the strategy of pulling hard during the last climb to make as small a selection as possible. Furthermore, we got a 2nd place at the finish for our teammate Emma Norsgaard, who is back in the races after her crash in Strade Bianche. We are very happy with how the race has played out so far, and now it’s time for the defining stages. We are enjoying La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es and its beautiful course.
Stage 4
125| Anna KIESENHOFER
Anna Kiesenhofer (Israel PremierTech – Roland): “This season has brought me a lot of learning and hard moments”
I’m very happy to get this white jersey as the most aggressive rider. Everybody knows that the breakaway is my strong point. I don’t enjoy being in the bunch, so the breakaway is my only option to be at the front. It was quite nice to show my team’s outfit and to prove that I am still strong and not just someone lagging in the back of the race. This season has brought me a lot of learning, but also a lot of hard moments. I’m pretty scared when I ride in the bunch. I don’t like crashes, and in Stage 2 I hit the ground twice. Mentally, it all...
Stage 4
87| Marianne VOS
Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “If Van Vleuten or Vollering go, you know it is serious”
It was a really nervous, hard day after yesterday’s echelons. There was some wind and I think every team was prepared as if something would happen. Then, of course, with the climbs coming up, all the teams wanted to be in front and all the GC riders wanted to be there. In the first attack with the leaders, they got quite a big gap, so our team took control and the girls did a really good job to bring that down. From then on, it was about trying to stay in front and to maintain the control of the group. I want to thank my team because they did an excellent job at controlling...
Stage 3
167| Alba TERUEL RIBES
Alba Teruel (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi): “I couldn’t sleep yesterday night”
Every flat day with this much wind is hard. I knew this stage could be harder and create even bigger gaps than some mountain stages, and it turned out like that. Some very strong teams started pulling, some favorites got dropped, and since then we raced full-gas to the finish. The stage was long and the temperatures were high, and we could feel both things on the legs.
Did I have fun today? Well, I couldn’t sleep yesterday night. I slept only five hours out of sheer excitement. I didn’t know how the race was going to pan out today, and in the end I’ve...
Stage 3
13| Marlen REUSSER
Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx): “I’m especially proud of Niamh Fisher-Black”
In the beginning of the stage, it was pretty slow, but as soon as we hit roads where it was sidewind and crosswinds, echelons started and the whole day was really full-gas echelons riding! A really tough stage, and I think many riders missed out on it. The race was expected to be much easier than it was in the end. There was one strong pull and the first group want away, and the second time was after the intermediate sprint, where it again cracked and there was a second group dropped. Team DSM really tried to keep the speed, and also Marianne (Vos, Team Jumbo-Visma) had...
Stage 3
17| Demi VOLLERING
Demi Vollering (SD Worx): “We actually expected that the battle would begin earlier”
We did expect this stage to play out like this. We actually expected that the battle would begin earlier, but the wind wasn’t blowing strong enough in the first kilometres. When I saw Movistar moving to the front, I realised something was going to happen, so I told Marlen [Reusser] and Niahm [Fisher-Black] to move to the front with me. From then on, the group kept getting smaller and smaller, big fight after big fight. I’m really happy that we could keep all of our GC riders in the mix.
I didn’t enjoy today’s stage so much. It has been so tiring,...
Stage 3
47| Jade WIEL
Jade Wiel (FDJ-SUEZ): “The race isn’t over yet”
We didn’t expect the race to be this hard. It was a really long day, and for 100 kilometres we rode full gas because of the wind. That created some echelons and, even if we tried to maintain a small gap with the front group, we lost some time. Anyway, the race isn’t over yet. Tomorrow’s race is going to be a hilly one, with a nice climb at the end. I will try to anticipate and make my move earlier in order to help my team’s GC leaders. We are going to try and protect them ahead of the last climb.
Stage 3
87| Marianne VOS
Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “When you know some teams are going to try, it’s better to try yourself”
Yesterday we were not that far off the win, and today’s stage was a new chance. The crosswinds made the race very hard. I’m very thankful that my team brought me in this position to the final, and very happy that I could finish it off.
We are not really surprised of how aggressive the race was. When you know that echelons are going to happen, you know some teams are going to try, and it’s better to try yourself in order not to be the surprised one. In Holland we are sorted of used to this, so we have some good experience on this kind of race. We...
Stage 2
87| Marianne VOS
Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma): “Taking the leader jersey was not the main goal today”
After racing a TTT the first day, the first road stage can be a bit chaotic as everybody is fresh, motivated and excited to go for the stage win. There was a lot and not so much going on at the same time. The bunch kept very good control of the breakaway and we just had to stay focused and keep ourselves at the front. I'm very happy and proud of how the team rode today, and how they brought me safely into the final. That was the big goal today... along with, of course, sprinting for the win. Taking the leader jersey was not the main goal today, but of course it is really...
Stage 2
63| Charlotte KOOL
Charlotte Kool (Team DSM): “We knew it was going to be a hectic final”
I am really excited. This is my first big win in a Grand Tour, and it’s cool to get it in my second day of GT racing. It has been a hectic final, and we knew it was going to be so. In the final I was almost boxed in, but luckily I found a way out to do my sprint. It has been a really long one! Tomorrow’s stage is also flat, so we will go for a sprint win again.