Soraya Paladin put in a brave last bid for the general classification on today’s final stage of the Simac Ladies Tour in Arnhem, the Netherlands. After an action-packed start to the stage with a flurry of attacks, Soraya was in a three-rider move for the final 70km of the stage.

“The team plan today was simple: go all in. There was a lot of action in the first half of the stage and then I could get in a break with Amanda Spratt (BEX) and Elynor Backstedt (TFS),” said Soraya.

“Only Amanda and I were working but we had good cooperation. I wasn’t confident that we would stay away to the finish because I knew that behind, there were good teams chasing. But I was hopeful as you never know what can happen. At that point, it was all or nothing and I tried.”

The trio gained a significant advantage but in the final 30km, the gap plummeted from 3:45 minutes to zero when the riders were caught with 10km remaining.

“Once we were caught, we wanted to sprint for Alice, with Ella given a chance to look for an opportunity to attack. I was really tired and I tried to help Alice just before 1.5 km to go but I couldn’t give much. Overall for the tour, I can be happy with my performances but I am not satisfied with my results,” added Soraya.

Soraya finished 12th in the general classification at +1:28 behind the winner, Lorena Wiebes (DSM).

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