Wolff sprints to podium spot in second stage Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina
Imogen Wolff just missed out on victory in the second stage of the Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina. The 18-year-old rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike finished third in the sprint of a depleted peloton. With one stage to go, Viktória Chladoňová and Wolff occupy sixth and eighth place in the general classification.
The day after the bunch sprint, which was marred by a crash, Team Visma | Lease a Bike could no longer call on Martina Fidanza. The Italian fell in the closing metres of the first stage-in-line and decided to abandon the race.
In the 109-kilometre stage, the peloton faced one serious climb. On the Alto del Robledo, a second category climb, Wolff, Chladoňová and Maud Oudeman showed they were among the best climbers.
In the final flat kilometres, Jos van Emden's team tried to go for day's success with Wolff. The young British rider got mixed up in the sprint, entering the final turn in third, but fell just short of beating Mie Bjorndal Ottestad and Ellen van Dijk.
"When you're so close to victory, it's still a bit of a bummer."
"Of course I'm happy with my first podium finish in a professional race, but when you're so close to victory, it's still a bit of a bummer", Wolff said. "In hindsight, I should have entered the last corner first. I knew it was close to the finish, but didn't know it would be so sharp. That was a mistake on my part."
Despite missing out on the stage win, Wolff was proud of her teammates. "The girls rode a very strong race today. In the final, Maud made sure the sole breakaway rider was caught, so I was able to sprint. It wasn't a big group anymore, so I definitely saw opportunities. It's a shame I just came up short."
Tomorrow the Spanish stage race ends with a stage to Hervás. Due to the expected rain, the stage has been shortened. "I don't know the exact profile of the stage yet, but I assume we will be strong enough to have a shot at the stage win. It would be cool if we can finish the stage race nicely."