Koster rides to eighth place in fourth stage Vuelta
Anouska Koster has finished in eighth place in the fourth stage of the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta. In the 160-kilometre stage, Koster battled with the best on the final steep climb before sprinting to a top 10 position on the last flat stretch.
Reigning Olympic champion Anna Kiesenhofer rode the entire stage solo in the lead. The Austrian took a lead of over nine minutes but could not hold it until the finish. Koster indicated that it went very fast in the race's last part. "Anna had a significant lead for a while, but as the race came to a close, the gap quickly shrunk. The stage's last part went very fast, especially leading up to the final climb."
"All in all, it was a long but lovely day"
Koster praised her teammates' work. "The team allowed me to go for my own success in this difficult final. I was feeling good and delighted with my eighth place. It was a good chance to put myself to the test. On the climb, I came third and sprinted to eighth place on the final flat stretch. All in all, it was a long but lovely day."