Today, the tenth edition of the Vuelta Femenina started in Valencia. Like last year, the first stage was a team time trial. Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women managed to win it last year and hoped to repeat that this year.

The riders started fast, which resulted in a virtual first place at the intermediate point. They managed to carry that good start through to the line, where they were nine seconds faster than the then number one EF Education-Cannondale. In the end, it was just not enough for the win, as Lidl-Trek still went under their time by two hundredths.

Despite the narrow defeat, Riejanne Markus keeps a positive feeling about this team time trial. "I think we can definitely be satisfied with our performance," she says. "The difference is very small, but that was mainly because of Lidl-Trek's crash. If they had not crashed there, the difference would have been bigger, of course."

For sports director Jos van Emden, a double feeling prevails. "Without a few small mistakes, we could have won this stage. There were still a bit too many moments where we got in each other's way or the time trial didn't go smoothly enough," he says. "But if Lidl-Trek don't fall, they win by a wide margin."

Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women's goal in this Vuelta Femenina is clear. "Giving everything for a good general classification with Riejanne Markus," Van Emden explains. "And of course we hope to compete for the day's victory every day by riding offensively,” the Dutchman concludes.