Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta 2021 – Stage 4 [FULL STAGE] (ladies)

September 5, 2021

Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta 2021 – Stage 4 – As Pontes – Santiago de Compostela : 107,4 km

The 2021 edition of the Ceratizit Challenge is almost unrecognisable from its debut edition in 2015. Over just six years the race has grown from one day to four and now features stages across all kinds of terrain. The line-up for this year’s race has improved on previous editions too, with two-time winner Lisa Brennauer set to go up against the dominant Dutch duo of Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen. Throw the likes of Elisa Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma and Marlen Reusser into the mix and you have all the headliners needed to put on one hell of a show. The question is, who’s going to come out on top once the dust settles in Santiago de Compostela this Sunday? This year’s race has expanded to four days, running from September 2nd-5th, and will follow a dynamic route that features two medium-mountain stages, an uphill time trial and a flat stage for the sprinters. Such a well-balanced route will favour the stage racing specialists, particularly those who are lightning fast against the clock.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) secured overall victory at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta as Lotte Kopecky (Liv Racing) took the win on the final stage in Santiago de Compostela.

The Belgian beat Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) to the line after the pair had caught breakaway survivor Leah Thomas (Movistar) within sight of the line after a tough uphill ride to the finishing straight.

Kopecky outsprinted Longo Borghini to take her seventh win of 2021, while Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) rounded out the podium at four seconds back.

“In the beginning it was really hard to get in the breakaway but then there was a big group and we had Sofia Bertizzolo in there,” Kopecky said after the finish.

“She’s also really fast so we put everything on her. At one point, however, there was a split in the peloton and eventually there was another regrouping. I didn’t expect that we would catch the leader, though.

“Longo Borghini went from far out and I also knew that it was a good finish for me.”

Behind the chaotic finish at the front, Van Vleuten finished safely in the peloton to take the overall win, her 12th victory of the season. She wins the race by 1:34 from Marlen Reusser (Ale BTC Ljubljana), while Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) rounds out the podium at 3:12 down.

“It was not a crazy stage. There were a lot of teams interested in going for the stage including my own team. Because the GC time difference was so big, it was free for the girls to go for the stage and Leah took that really good,” Van Vleuten said after the stage.

“It was a really exciting stage and also really nice that the race was live on television. I’m happy with this kind of stage, real racing. Yesterday I had a really good day and today it was about being conservative and hoping my teammates get in the break.

“For me personally, today was about going to the finish.”

How it unfolded

The final kilometres of the stage had seen a furious chase as riders sought to catch Leah Thomas (Movistar), the last surviving woman from a large breakaway move that got away at around 50 kilometres into the 107.4-kilometre day.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx), Sofia Bertizzolo (Liv Racing), Alena Amialiusik (Canyon-SRAM), and Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) were among the riders accompanying Thomas in the move, which jumped away after a fast and tough start to the stage.

The move never held a large advantage over the peloton, though, and fractured as the riders reached the final 30 kilometres of the stage, with Thomas, Van der Breggen, Amialiusik and Van Anrooij moving clear.

As they hit the final 20 kilometers, the quartet enjoyed a minute lead over the charging peloton, though their advantage only ebbed away as they neared the line. By the time Thomas made her solo move, 10 kilometres out, the gap was down to just 22 seconds with Liv Racing leading the peloton.

Though Thomas’ advantage did jump out to 50 seconds over the following kilometres, she faced a massive challenge to hold the 20-second gap she took into the final two kilometres.

In the end, it was the climb towards the line in Santiago de Compostela that killed Thomas’ chances of a big solo win, as the American was caught just 275 metres from the finish as Kopecky and Longo Borghini blew past her onto the flat.

Longo Borghini led out the finishing sprint on the paved finishing straight, but Kopecky always looked comfortable in the wheel, and finished off the job when she launched her sprint at 75 metres to go to secure the win.

Results :
1 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Liv Racing 2:29:37
2 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
3 Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:00:04
4 Kata Blanka Vas (Hun) Team SD Worx 0:00:06
5 Silvia Zanardi (Ita) BePink
6 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
7 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM Racing
8 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM 0:00:08
9 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM
10 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
11 Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
12 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
13 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
14 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange
15 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:00:12
16 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women
17 Sandra Alonso Dominguez (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:00:13
18 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx
19 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:16
20 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
21 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women
22 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
23 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:00:19
24 Michaela Drummond (NZl) BePink
25 Spela Kern (Slo) Massi Tactic Women Team
26 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
27 Holly Henry (Can) Instafund Racing
28 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
29 Maaike Coljé (Ned) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:00:23
30 Abi Smith (GBr) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
31 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
32 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:00:25
33 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
34 Ines Cantera Carrasco (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team
35 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
36 Nadine Michaela Gill (Ger) Bizkaia-Durango
37 Vita Heine (Nor) Massi Tactic Women Team
38 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
39 Ziortza Isasi Cristobal (Spa) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa
40 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women
41 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing 0:00:32
42 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Team SD Worx
43 Paula Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women
44 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
45 Amber Kraak (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
46 Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
47 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
48 Martina Moreno Monteys (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
49 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
50 Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango
51 Sara Martin Martin (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:00:38
52 Marie Le Net (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
53 Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
54 Hannah Ludwig (Ger) Canyon-SRAM Racing
55 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo
56 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Liv Racing 0:00:44
57 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:00:48
58 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
59 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange
60 Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:00:50
61 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:00
62 Urska Zigart (Slo) Team BikeExchange
63 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Team BikeExchange
64 Idoia Eraso Lasa (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi 0:00:32
65 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:01:30
66 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing 0:02:46
67 Aafke Soet (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:03:14
68 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:04:22
69 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM 0:07:49
70 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
71 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport
72 Claire Steels (GBr) Sopela Women’s Team
73 Matilde Vitillo (Ita) BePink 0:10:45
74 Josie Nelson (GBr) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:16:30
75 Yuliia Biriukova (Ukr) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa
76 Irene Mendez (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:16:34
77 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
78 Lara Crestanello (Ita) BePink
79 Caroline Baur (Swi) Instafund Racing
80 Susana Perez Conejero (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:16:39
81 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
82 Prisca Savi (Ita) BePink
83 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM Racing
84 Enara Lopez Gallastegi (Spa) Team Farto-BTC
85 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
86 Amalie Dideriksen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
87 Ane Iversen (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
88 Lija Laizane (Lat) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa
89 Melissa Maia (Por) Team Farto-BTC
90 Antri Christoforou (Cyp) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport
91 Dorka Jordan (Hun) Instafund Racing 0:16:46
92 Federica Piergiovanni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:16:47
93 Valerie Demey (Bel) Liv Racing
94 Carolina Esteban Fernandez (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte
95 Natalia Saiz Sanchez (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team
96 Irantzu Beloki Arcelus (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi
97 Mercedes Carmona Ramos (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:16:50
98 Isabella Bertold (Can) Instafund Racing 0:16:51
99 Aida Nuño Palacio (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte
100 Ariana Gilabert Vilaplana (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango
101 Jip van den Bos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
102 Luciana Roland (Arg) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport
103 Tereza Neumanová (Cze) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport
104 Silvia Zuñiga Garcia (Spa) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:16:55
105 Sofia Rodriguez Revert (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team 0:17:03
106 Isabel Martin Martin (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte
107 Naia Amondarain Gaztañaga (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team
108 Amaia Lartitegi Ormazabal (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango
109 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) BePink
110 Eukene Larrarte Arteaga (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi 0:17:23
111 Mieke Kröger (Ger) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:17:35

Final General Classification :
1 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women 8:40:18
2 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:01:34
3 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:03:12
4 Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:03:30
5 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM 0:03:59
6 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:04:04
7 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:04:13
8 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM 0:04:38
9 Kata Blanka Vas (Hun) Team SD Worx 0:04:57
10 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Liv Racing 0:07:58
11 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women 0:08:17
12 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:08:47
13 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange 0:08:54
14 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx 0:08:56
15 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:08:57
16 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:08:59
17 Abi Smith (GBr) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:09:02
18 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Liv Racing 0:09:09
19 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:09:10
20 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:09:15
21 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
22 Amber Kraak (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:09:19
23 Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo 0:09:30
24 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx 0:09:35
25 Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:09:42
26 Hannah Ludwig (Ger) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:09:43
27 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:09:48
28 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:09:58
29 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange 0:10:06
30 Michaela Drummond (NZl) BePink 0:10:09
31 Sara Martin Martin (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:10:10
32 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing 0:10:12
33 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:10:19
34 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:10:38
35 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
36 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:10:47
37 Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:10:50
38 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:11:01
39 Spela Kern (Slo) Massi Tactic Women Team
40 Martina Moreno Monteys (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:11:02
41 Marie Le Net (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:11:57
42 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing 0:12:32
43 Paula Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women 0:16:25
44 Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Team SD Worx 0:16:34
45 Urska Zigart (Slo) Team BikeExchange 0:16:48
46 Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:16:52
47 Ines Cantera Carrasco (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team 0:16:57
48 Maaike Coljé (Ned) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:17:14
49 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:17:39
50 Idoia Eraso Lasa (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi 0:17:58
51 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:21:01
52 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:21:21
53 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:21:36
54 Holly Henry (Can) Instafund Racing 0:21:41
55 Nadine Michaela Gill (Ger) Bizkaia-Durango 0:22:01
56 Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:22:14
57 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing 0:22:58
58 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:23:07
59 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:24:10
60 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:24:39
61 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:24:42
62 Claire Steels (GBr) Sopela Women’s Team 0:28:53
63 Silvia Zanardi (Ita) BePink 0:30:25
64 Matilde Vitillo (Ita) BePink 0:31:46
65 Yuliia Biriukova (Ukr) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:32:23
66 Federica Piergiovanni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:32:45
67 Lija Laizane (Lat) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:33:28
68 Irene Mendez (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:33:39
69 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:34:09
70 Vita Heine (Nor) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:34:40
71 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:34:48
72 Lucia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:35:52
73 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM 0:38:01
74 Sandra Alonso Dominguez (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:38:09
75 Ziortza Isasi Cristobal (Spa) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 0:38:48
76 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:40:01
77 Aafke Soet (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:40:16
78 Malgorzata Jasinska (Pol) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport 0:42:50
79 Mercedes Carmona Ramos (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 0:50:25
80 Aida Nuño Palacio (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:51:28
81 Melissa Maia (Por) Team Farto-BTC 0:52:14
82 Valerie Demey (Bel) Liv Racing 0:52:25
83 Tereza Neumanová (Cze) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport 0:53:06
84 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:53:17
85 Caroline Baur (Swi) Instafund Racing 0:54:12
86 Isabella Bertold (Can) Instafund Racing 0:54:29
87 Lara Crestanello (Ita) BePink 0:54:53
88 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:55:18
89 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:55:30
90 Ane Iversen (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:55:31
91 Susana Perez Conejero (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 0:55:32
92 Enara Lopez Gallastegi (Spa) Team Farto-BTC 0:56:05
93 Naia Amondarain Gaztañaga (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team 0:59:29
94 Irantzu Beloki Arcelus (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi 1:00:20
95 Mieke Kröger (Ger) Team Coop Hitec Products 1:00:40
96 Sofia Rodriguez Revert (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team 1:00:43
97 Eukene Larrarte Arteaga (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi 1:00:55
98 Carolina Esteban Fernandez (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 1:01:00
99 Amaia Lartitegi Ormazabal (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 1:01:20
100 Dorka Jordan (Hun) Instafund Racing 1:01:39
101 Luciana Roland (Arg) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport
102 Isabel Martin Martin (Spa) Rio Miera-Cantabria Deporte 1:02:09
103 Amalie Dideriksen (Den) Trek-Segafredo 1:02:11
104 Silvia Zuñiga Garcia (Spa) Eneicat-RBH Global-Martin Villa 1:03:42
105 Ariana Gilabert Vilaplana (Spa) Bizkaia-Durango 1:07:31
106 Antri Christoforou (Cyp) Burgos Alimenta Women Cycling Sport 1:09:29
107 Jip van den Bos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 1:11:17
108 Prisca Savi (Ita) BePink 1:12:03
109 Josie Nelson (GBr) Team Coop Hitec Products 1:19:29
110 Natalia Saiz Sanchez (Spa) Sopela Women’s Team 1:27:50
111 Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) BePink 1:44:37