Van Empel second in final stage Tour de Romandie Féminin
Fem van Empel has finished second in the third stage of the Tour de Romandie Féminin. Like in the first stage, the Dutch rider of Team Jumbo-Visma Women competed with the world's best riders. Germany's Liane Lippert won the bunch sprint.
The final stage of the Swiss stage race took the riders from Vernier to Nyon with four categorised climbs along the way. After the peloton had completed the first two climbs, the first breakaway appeared. Eleven riders got away, but the chasing peloton quickly reeled them in. Team Jumbo-Visma stayed at the front for the final 40 kilometres, fending off several breakaway attempts. The 21-year-old Van Empel was vigilant in the closing stages but had to concede her superiority to German Lippert.
"The team did an excellent job”, race coach Lieselot Decroix said. "Rosita (Reijnhout) and Kim (Cadzow) were still in a good position well into the final. That allowed us to stay in control. The plan was to start the sprint early, and Fem did just that. Unfortunately, Lippert was faster.”
"We can be proud of the course we rode here"
The Belgian race coach reflected on the weekend. "We can be proud of the course we rode here. We were here with a relatively young and inexperienced team at the highest level. Of course, I would have preferred to win, but I am very proud of the girls.”
