Van Agt rides into top ten in rainy first stage of Itzulia
Team Jumbo-Visma did well in the first stage of Itzulia. In rainy conditions, the race exploded on the final climb. Demi Vollering won the stage, with Eva van Agt finishing a respectable ninth.
The heavy rain made for a nervous race that only opened up in the last 15 kilometres. The climb to Urkaregi proved to be the key moment. Just before it, Team Jumbo-Visma rode with the whole team at the front, and Karlijn Swinkels won the intermediate sprint. On the flanks of the Basque climb, Vollering left everyone behind and rode solo to Markina-Xemein.
"Tomorrow we will be back there and fight again for a good result."
Sports director Carmen Small on the overture in the Basque Country: "It was raining from the start, which caused a lot of nervousness and breaks in the peloton. Then the pace slowed, and the peloton was waiting for the climbs. It's good that Karlijn got some more points in the intermediate sprint and after that, we had to see how we would digest the final climb.”
"I'm happy with what I saw”, Small said. "But unfortunately, they didn't have the strength to go with the best on the last climb. Tomorrow we will be back there and fight again for a good result."
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Itzulia Women
Stage 1
Result
1
Demi Vollering
Team SD Worx
03:16:32
2
Marlen Reusser
Team SD Worx
+00:00:47
3
Katarzyna Niewiadoma
Canyon//SRAM Racing
+00:00:49
10
Eva van Agt
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:01:35
15
Amber Kraak
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:02:43
59
Linda Riedmann
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:08:52
61
Rosita Reijnhout
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:08:52
65
Carlijn Achtereekte
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:09:37
67
Karlijn Swinkels
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:09:37
Rankings
1
Demi Vollering
Team SD Worx
03:16:22
2
Marlen Reusser
Team SD Worx
+00:00:50
3
Katarzyna Niewiadoma
Canyon//SRAM Racing
+00:00:55
10
Eva van Agt
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:01:45
15
Amber Kraak
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:02:53
59
Linda Riedmann
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:09:02
61
Rosita Reijnhout
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:09:02
65
Karlijn Swinkels
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:09:42
66
Carlijn Achtereekte
Team Jumbo-Visma
+00:09:47
