Nooijen fights her way to third place in heroic fourth stage of Eneco Tour and retains leader's jersey
Lieke Nooijen finished third in the grueling fourth stage of the Eneco Tour. On the VAM-berg, the 25-year-old Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women rider, who leads the general classification, had to settle for third place behind Pfeiffer Georgi and stage winner Letizia Borghesi. Nooijen heads into tomorrow’s final stage with a 38-second bonus.
All eyes were on the VAM-berg during the fourth stage. The 114-kilometer stage featured no fewer than eight ascents of the hill in Drenthe. After the start in Hoogeveen, three riders broke away from the peloton.
Meanwhile, heavy rain poured down. The combination of rain and repeated ascents of the VAM-berg significantly thinned out the peloton. Viktória Chladoňová abandoned the race today. With around 40 kilometers remaining, the three early breakaway riders were caught. On the subsequent climbs of the VAM-berg, the favorites began to put one another under pressure.
With 20 kilometers to go, Maud Rijnbeek launched an attack. Before the stage, she was 45 seconds behind Nooijen in the general classification. Femke Markus and Nooijen responded but were unable to close the gap to Rijnbeek. After the chasers caught back up, Katharina Sadnik and Femke de Vries proved invaluable in bringing Rijnbeek back in the closing kilometers. A select group of favorites then prepared for the final, decisive ascent of the VAM-berg. Borghesi launched a powerful acceleration on the climb. The Italian immediately opened a gap over Nooijen and Georgi. Nooijen ultimately had to settle for third place. She will start tomorrow’s final stage with a 38-second lead over her closest challenger, Markus.
"I’m incredibly proud of the way we raced today"
“On paper, it already looked like it was going to be a tough day, but the conditions made it even harder,” Nooijen said after the finish. “This course suited me well, so we decided to take control of the race. Rijnbeek and Markus launched their attacks in the finale, so I knew I had to react immediately. My teammates then did a fantastic job of closing the gap to Rijnbeek. I’m incredibly proud of the way we raced today.”
“I’m happy that I’ve been able to extend my lead in the general classification,” Nooijen added. “I can head into tomorrow’s final stage with confidence. Wearing this leader’s jersey means a lot to me. I hope to stand on the podium tomorrow as the overall winner. We’ll certainly do everything we can to achieve that goal.”
