Ruëgg falls just outside top ten in Valencia
After a challenging stage on the second day of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana Fèmines, Noemi Ruëgg has finished in eleventh place. The Spanish stage race is the 20-year-old rider’s debut for Team-Jumbo-Visma.
The second stage of the Tour of Valencia was ridden under a pleasant sun. The stage went up and down continuously. The riders had to face many short, challenging climbs. The stage also included a first category climb, the Alto de Confrides. Only in the aftermath of that climb - at the beginning of the stage - a breakaway of four riders was formed. They got a maximum lead of one minute. With forty kilometres to go, the escape was undone by a depleted peloton. A few more attacks followed, after which two riders could only just stay in front. Ruëgg finished eleventh in a sprinting peloton.
Team manager Carmen Small was satisfied with Ruëgg's performance. “Noemi is one of our youngest riders, but she put in a good result here. She put in a good performance.”
Small had mixed feelings about the rest of the stage. “Our goal was to survive the first climb with all the riders and we did. Later it went wrong on the local circuit. Some riders missed the right group and Noemi ended up riding alone. Afterward, they were a bit disappointed, but we will learn from our mistakes.”