15.06.2024 World-Tour, News, Race news

A GRITTY PERFORMANCE BY ELISE GIVES HER THE QOM JERSEY ON STAGE 1

A gritty performance from Elise Chabbey on stage one gave the CANYON//SRAM Racing rider the lead in the mountain classification and third place on the stage. The team finished the stage with four riders in the top twelve in the general classification, Elise second in the points classification and Neve Bradbury and Antonia Niedermaier in contention for the young rider jersey.

The short 58km-long stage was always destined to be raced aggressively. When Elise followed a move on the first climb, less than six kilometres into the stage, it wasn’t long before the CANYON//SRAM Racing rider was unmatched on the climb. Elise took maximum points in the mountain classification and went on to build a lead of 2:50 minutes as she soloed for the next 50km. Elise could dig in on the final climb, taking maximum points on the mountain classification for the second time, before being caught by Demi Vollering (SDW) and Gaia Realini (LTK). Elise fought hard to hold third place, 46 seconds behind the winner Vollering. Behind, youngsters Neve and Antonia climbed impressively with teammate Kasia Niewiadoma. The trio finishing eighth, eleventh and twelfth respectively.

RIDER REACTIONS

Elise Chabbey: “The plan was for Agnieszka and me to attack the first climb to create a group. Unfortunately, when I attacked, I was alone. I knew it was a long way to go, but I committed. I knew the climbs and descents well and used that to my advantage. Coming into the final climb with such a big gap, I was hoping to be able to stay away. My legs were hurting and it was hard mentally because I knew the gap was coming down. I had a lot of cheering and support from the side of the road, which helped. I’m disappointed to miss the stage win. We still have more opportunities, and I’m confident that we can do something nice again in the following stages with our climbing team.”

Neve Bradbury: “We planned for Elise to attack close to the top of the first climb, and that’s exactly what happened after someone else made the first move. Then, we could stay on the wheels and let the other teams react. It worked perfectly for us with Elise off the front because she can climb and descend well, putting a lot of pressure on the other teams.”

“The pace was on from the bottom of the climb and was a hard effort. I couldn’t follow Realini when she attacked but could ride back into some rhythm. I lost my computer unit and thought we had 1km to go when I attacked, but I realised we still had 3km to go afterwards. I’m happy with our team’s performance and also with my performance. We aim to all move up in the time trial stage tomorrow.”

Kasia Niewiadoma: “What a racer and champion Elise is! A brave attacker that never gives up. The victory is just around the corner for her. We’re so proud of her, and it was heartbreaking to see her sad at the finish line.”

“Neve and Antonia climbed amazingly. Despite their young age, they’re very strong and are experienced with positioning and fighting for their places. Agnieszka did a great job keeping us in the front, especially before the important sections leading into the climb, and Justyna did her best to keep us safe. Personally, I had a bad day today and didn’t feel like myself.”