Vos must once again settle for second place in La Vuelta Femenina
Marianne Vos achieved a podium place for the third consecutive day in La Vuelta Femenina. The 37-year-old rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike won the sprint for second place in Borja, but could not prevent Anna van der Breggen from crossing the line solo.
The fourth stage of the Spanish stage race saw the first serious climbs. On the first climb the classification women kept their heads down, but on the second the pace increased significantly. Vos held her own and went into the final with a group of fifteen riders.
In the descent, Van der Breggen created a gap and the Dutchwoman reached the finish line solo. Vos won the sprint for second place right behind. "I had to fight hard to get over the climb with the front group. In the descent Anna placed a great attack and when you give her a few meters, you know it will be hard to catch her back. Of course I went for the highest possible, but more than second place was out of the question", Vos said.
"This was really a missed opportunity."
Sport director Jos van Emden was disappointed that Vos was the only rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the front group. "This was really a missed opportunity", said Van Emden, who saw Pauline Ferrand-Prévot having a difficult day. "If you start the Vuelta with classification ambitions, you really shouldn't get dropped on a climb like this. Unfortunately that did happen. It will be difficult to still play a significant role in the classification, but we will certainly not give up the fight."