The formation led by Marieke van Wanroij displayed a strong performance in Cittiglio. The yellow-black formation was well-positioned near the front all day and was even represented in a few breakaways with Anouska Koster. When in the penultimate lap of the race the later winner Elisa Longo Borghini attacked, Marianne Vos tried to bridge across to the Italian rider, but didn’t succeed. Vos then sovereignly won the sprint for second place. It is the third podium place of this season for Team Jumbo-Visma.

“You always want to win, but Longo Borghini was the strongest today”, Marianne Vos said. “When Elisa attacked, I tried to follow her, but I couldn’t close the gap. After that we chased her with five full on, but we didn’t get any closer. Then you know that it will be a fight for the second place. As a team we did a very good race. We were represented well in the front and had a rider in the break with Anouska. That’s why I was able to safe myself a little bit longer. As a result, I could save some energy and I could start fresh in the final. That also gives a certain pressure and motivation to do well and reward the team for their work. I am happy that it worked out.”

Racecoach Marieke van Wanroij was more than happy with the way her team had raced. “The team was always riding were they needed to be. The plan was to put Marianne, Riejanne and Anouska in a good position for the final. After that it was up to one of them to get in one of the breakaways. That worked out well. Longo Borghini was too strong today. Marianne tried it several times and gave everything she had. We always race to win, but we can be satisfied with the level we are at now and with the teamwork. This certainly gives us a lot of confidence for the upcoming weeks.”