Dramatic win for Lidl-Trek in Valencia’s opening TTT
April 28 th 2024 - 17:38 [GMT + 2]
Fighting against misfortune normally adds some glory to the feeling of victory, although drama is not always welcome. A late crash with just 200 meters to go put Lidl-Trek’s triumph in La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es opening Team Time Trial in jeopardy, as two of its seven riders hit the deck in the last right-hand turn creating a confusion that nearly marred the team’s effort over the 16-kilometre course along the Albufera Natural Park. They still managed to save the day and the win, though, defeating Team Visma | Lease a Bike by a mere 9 hundredths of a second and putting Italian climber Gaia Realini in the lead of the GC. Lidl-Trek will defend La Roja tomorrow on a 118,3-kilometre flat stage between Bunyol and Moncofa.
144 riders spread over 21 teams took the start on the 1st stage of the 2024 La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es, which began with a 16-kilometre Team Time Trial in Valencia. Team Coop-Repsol was the first team on the start ramp of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias at 15:56 CEST, and also the first one through the finish line clocking a 20’48” time that was bested a few minutes later by Lotto-dstny Ladies with 20’30”. Shortly after, the Volkerwessels team set a new fastest time of 20’21” that only stood for two minutes at the top of the standings as EF Education-Cannondale crushed it with its 19’29” effort. Liv-Jayco-AlUla challenged them and fell just one second short of besting their time at the finish line. A few minutes later, FDJ-SUEZ did not defeat the American squad by an even tinier margin – just 14 hundredths of a second! And things were just about to get tighter…
Just 9 hundredths of a second settled the affairs
The Visma | Lease a Bike riders made an excellent effort to set new fastest times both at the intermediate time check at kilometer 7,8 (10’52”) and at the finish (19’20”). Their spell at the top of the standings was quite short, as Lidl-Trek bested them by 8” at the intermediate split and were about to comfortably beat them again at the end of the course when Ellen van Dijk and Elynor Backstedt crashed on the last right-hand turn with 200 meters to go. Their teammates still managed to pull off the win by a mere 9 hundredths of a second, putting Gaia Realini in the first position of the GC. Meanwhile, Demi Vollering’s Team SD Worx-Protime was just one second slower than Lidl-Trek, with Kasia Niewiadoma’s Canyon//SRAM just 8” behind in fourth position.