The second stage of the Spanish WorldTour stage race took the peloton over rolling roads toward the final climb of the Alto de Rosales in rainy and harsh conditions. Several riders tried to get away throughout the 123-kilometer stage, but many attempts were unsuccessful. Only halfway through the stage there was a serious breakaway of four riders, but they were caught well before the finish. After that Linda Riedmann and others made another attempt, but without success.

Sports director Jan Boven about the fiercely contested stage: “We had hoped that a few more teams would be active during the stage,” he said. “That didn’t really happen, but due to the rain and narrow roads, things got quite nervous. The team positioned Eva van Agt, Rosita and Maud well on the final climb and there it was a big battle. When Vollering went, we knew what time it was.”

The coach emphasizes that his team is here primarily to learn. “It is a strong field of competitors and of course we knew in advance that we would not be competing for victory here. We were aiming for a top ten place on this climb, but it just fell short. Still, it is nice to see that those young riders can compete with the rest and that they are definitely making steps forward.”

On the narrow and wet roads towards the final climb, Mijntje Geurts crashed and there was a lot of nervousness in the peloton. “Fortunately the damage was minimal for her,” Boven said.