2021 Ladies Tour of Norway, 2.WWT - 12th to 15th August

[Samu Cuenca]

Bad news for Marty Macdonald and Libertine; Anna Henderson didn't start today.

It took an hour's time before a break got away. Faulkner won the first intermediate sprint, but there are only points on offer in those. Biannic and Cordon Ragot now has a 1:15 gap with about 80 km left. Live pictures are coming soon.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Jumbo split the bunch in the wind, and Riejanne Markus bridged across to the break on her own. When they weren't long from being brought back she attacked solo, and she now has a minute with 14 km to go. DSM have sued up their energy, so I think they'll mess it up again.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Few different teams contributing now, gap dropped from 1:10 to 1:00 with 9km to go so could be close...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

55 seconds at the finish line, and the climb should be harder for Markus.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

30 secs... gaps in the peloton from this tempo

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I think she will take it.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

When it got down to 25 secs with a few kms to go I thought she'd be caught, congrats to her.

 

[RedheadDane]

She holds on for the win!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It was close again, but well done by Markus. Maybe another breakaway will take it tomorrow, if nobody wants to help Movistar.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Markus has been awarded a 2 second gap at the finish, which she also deserved, so she'll be in the leader's jersey tomorrow.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Annoyingly, Markus was somebody I considered for the stage huntress award, but rejected as I thought she'd have to do it from the bunch and I couldn't see her outsprinting the likes of Rivera.

 

[yaco]

It was close again, but well done by Markus. Maybe another breakaway will take it tomorrow, if nobody wants to help Movistar.

Isn't this the queen stage with a final 11km climb - Doubt Movistar will stuff up this final.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Isn't this the queen stage with a final 11km climb - Doubt Movistar will stuff up this final.

It was mostly tongue-in-cheek. They don't bring Van Vleuten to a race to finish second.

I missed that Cavalli abandoned yesterday. Now I don't think I can win the prediction game anymore.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Chapman has decided that if they won't join her, then she just has to beat them instead. She and Vita Heine have 1:30 over the peloton with 48 km left.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It was also very frustrating that SD Worx added Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio to the startlist after I'd already made my prediction game picks. I would probably have stuck to my guns, but watching SD Worx pushing on the front here is starting to make me regret that.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It was also very frustrating that SD Worx added Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio to the startlist after I'd already made my prediction game picks. I would probably have stuck to my guns, but watching SD Worx pushing on the front here is starting to make me regret that.

Yeah, that has certainly made a difference to the race dynamics. I hope they will still ride for Fisher-Black though, cause she deserves the chance.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Because she's not particularly explosive so doesn't get too many results in the races like Trofeo Binda and the Ardennes compared to the usual climbing suspects, I always forget how good Lucinda Brand is at these longer, diesel climbs. You don't finish 4th in the Giro by accident.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Fisher-Black is the first to attack, so SD Worx are still using their Giro strategy.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The hardest part is between 3 and 2 km to go, so Van Vleuten is probably wating until then to attack.
Both Markus and Faulkner are still looking good,

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Lippert climbing great too, she's done a lot of the pacing on the front as well. This is usually a bit above her range.

Done now though.

García awfully placed and having to ride around everybody to get into contention, yet again.

Nooo, Cille dropping Good for me in the prediction game, but I can deal with that. I can't bring myself to cheer against Cille. How could one?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I don't know why García wasn't on Reusser's wheel.

Cille destroyed herself trying to hold on. A shame she didn't have Cavalli with her.
And now Van Vleuten has done enough to win.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't know why García wasn't on Reusser's wheel.

Cille destroyed herself trying to hold on. A shame she didn't have Cavalli with her.
And now Van Vleuten has done enough to win.

García being a late starter has always had trouble with placement and she was just dropping back and getting swamped in the group constantly when it was tempo riding, Reusser is also a late starter so I wonder if they just don't have that knack of finding one another in the group, it's probably costing them here as Mavi responded well in terms of her legs and the burst of acceleration, but was already way down when she started, like being one of the fastest sprinters in the stage but being about ten wheels back from where you need to be.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Mavi Sastre picks off Cadélie Uttrup Ludwig at the end there.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Both García and Reusser did a great job at the end, If that was Rachel Neylan from PV, that is some debut for her for the team.
Also a good ride by Kastelijn on a climb like this.

 

[yaco]

Fantastic ride by Neylan at 39 years of age - Strange that she was previously riding for the World Cycling Academy.