Ladies Tour of Norway 2021 – Stage 2 [FULL STAGE]

August 13, 2021

Ladies Tour of Norway 2021 – Stage 2 – Askim – Mysen : 145 km

Falling in August, the Ladies Tour of Norway has kickstarted the latter half of the racing season ever since it was first added to the calendar in 2014. In 2017 it was upgraded to the Women’s WorldTour and has gone from strength to strength ever since. This year’s race will follow a slightly different format, with four road stages instead of three. It’ll also be the first edition in the race’s short history to feature a mountaintop stage finish – on day three the riders will tackle the punishing, 10km-long ascent to the Norefjell ski resort.

Riejanne Markus (Team Jumbo-Visma) has won stage 2 of the Ladies Tour of Norway, taking the first Women’s WorldTour victory of her career. After bridging to a breakaway of two riders in the last third of the stage, the 26-year-old Dutchwoman went solo with 23 kilometres to go and held off the peloton by a few metres on the slightly uphill finishing straight.

Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) finished second, Alison Jackson (Liv Racing) crossed the line in third place. At first, the peloton was given the same time as Markus, and stage 1 winner Kristen Faulkner (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley) received the leader’s jersey at the podium ceremony on stage placing countback. However, the result was adjusted later in the evening, giving Markus a two-second time gap at the finish and thus putting her in the leader’s jersey.

“This victory means a lot to me. It’s my first win on the WorldTour, and I don’t get many opportunities. I have been waiting for a win for a couple of years now, so I am really happy that I could finish it off like this,” said an emotional Markus after the race.

“We tried to make it a hard race today. We made a move with the team; I am really thankful to the girls for that. I found a moment to attack, and it was not easy to bridge the one-minute gap, but I made it and got some support. In the finish, I’ve been caught 20 metres before the line before, so I was really scared to celebrate too early. I was just trying to close my eyes and make it to the finish line,” Markus explained the Team Jumbo-Visma tactics after the Dutch outfit had lost Anna Henderson who did not start due to injuries from a crash on stage 1.

How it unfolded

At 145.2 km, the stage from Askim to Mysen was the longest of the four-day race, taking a circuitous route through the interior of Østfold. The peloton pushed a high pace on the first 50 kilometres and let none of the numerous breakaway attempts go. Eventually, Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo), not hindered by her crash in the final of stage 1, and Aude Biannic (Movistar Team) were successful in forming a two-rider break and extended their advantage to a maximum of 1:50 minutes.

The peloton reduced this to just over a minute with 50 km to go when Team Jumbo-Visma then forced the pace up even further, dropping a group of fourteen riders and setting up Markus’ attack. Markus bridged to Biannic and Cordon-Ragot within seven kilometres, reaching the front of the race 40 km from the finish.

There were several counterattacks in the peloton, but they were all quickly shut down, and Team DSM, Valcar-Travel & Service, and Liv Racing controlled the chase, reducing the gap to the front to 13 seconds with 24 kilometres to go.

Markus took this as her cue to leave Cordon-Ragot and Biannic behind, and the peloton seemed happy to leave a single rider up ahead, allowing Markus to extend her advantage to over a minute again as she entered the finishing circuit. It started to drizzle at this point, but the race escaped the heavy rain that started falling during the podium ceremony.

Crossing the finish line with 8.2 km to go, Markus was still 55 seconds ahead, and although Team DSM committed the whole team to the chase, breaking up the peloton into several groups in the process, Markus still held a 20-second advantage at the kilometre mark.

On the uphill finishing straight, the peloton came charging from behind, but Markus made it to the line a few metres ahead of the sprinters and, after being given a two-second gap, claims the GC leader’s jersey. Faulkner keeps the lead in the points classification going into stage 3.

Nina Buysman (Parkhotel Valkenburg) defended her mountain jersey, her teammate Mischa Bredewold took the U23 jersey from Team SD Worx’ Anna Shackley.

Results :
1 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 3:40:01
2 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team DSM 0:00:02
3 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing
4 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
5 Sanne Cant (Bel) Plantur-Pura
6 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
7 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
8 Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
9 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
10 Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
11 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
12 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
13 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team SD Worx
14 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
15 Anne Dorthe Ysland (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
16 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
17 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women
18 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM
19 Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) Norway National Team
20 Mischa Bredewold (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
21 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM
22 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx
23 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
24 Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Plantur-Pura
25 Vita Heine (Nor) Norway National Team
26 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
27 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
28 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
29 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women
30 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Parkhotel Valkenburg
31 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx
32 Nancy van der Berg (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
33 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
34 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange
35 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
36 Annemarie Worst (Ned) Plantur-Pura
37 Joscelin Lowden (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
38 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
39 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
40 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing 0:00:09
41 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:00:11
42 Ella Harris (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:00:13
43 Susanne Andersen (Nor) Team DSM 0:00:15
44 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:00:29
45 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM 0:00:32
46 Julie De Wilde (Bel) Plantur-Pura 0:00:43
47 Tiril Jørgensen (Nor) Norway National Team 0:00:45
48 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women
49 Birgitte Andersen Nilssen (Nor) Norway National Team
50 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
51 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing
52 Urska Pintar (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
53 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women 0:00:49
54 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:01:20
55 Julie Van De Velde (Bel) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
56 Nina Buijsman (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
57 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
58 Amber Kraak (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
59 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing
60 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
61 Urska Zigart (Slo) Team BikeExchange
62 Roxane Fournier (Fra) Team SD Worx
63 Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Plantur-Pura
64 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
65 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
66 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Trek-Segafredo
67 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:01:29
68 Emilie Moberg (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:01:30
69 Rossella Ratto (Ita) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
70 Rotem Gafinovitz (Isr) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
71 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
72 Wilma Olausson (Swe) Team DSM
73 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM Racing
74 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx
75 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
76 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
77 Jessica Allen (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:04:18
78 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
79 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:04:53
80 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
81 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
82 Tanja Erath (Ger) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:07:48
83 Anna Christian (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
84 Magdalene Lind (Nor) Norway National Team
85 Ingrid Lorvik (Nor) Norway National Team
86 Mari Hole Mohr (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
87 Pien Limpens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
88 Justine Ghekiere (Bel) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:09:12
89 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
90 Ann Helen Olsen (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
91 Elise Marie Olsen (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
92 Natalie van Gogh (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
93 Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
94 Elynor Backstedt (GBr) Trek-Segafredo
95 Sara Penton (Swe) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
96 Evy Kuijpers (Ned) Liv Racing
97 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
98 Caroline Andersson (Swe) Team Coop Hitec Products
99 Manon Bakker (Ned) Plantur-Pura
100 Demi De Jong (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
DNF Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
DNF Claudia Jongerius (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
DNS Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women Team

General Classification after Stage 2 :
1 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 7:18:06
2 Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:00:04
3 Susanne Andersen (Nor) Team DSM 0:00:06
4 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team DSM
5 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing 0:00:08
6 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:12
7 Sanne Cant (Bel) Plantur-Pura
8 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
9 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
10 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
11 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
12 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women
13 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
14 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM
15 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM
16 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
17 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx
18 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
19 Mischa Bredewold (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
20 Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Plantur-Pura
21 Anne Dorthe Ysland (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
22 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
23 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
24 Nancy van der Berg (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
25 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
26 Joscelin Lowden (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
27 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange
28 Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) Norway National Team
29 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx
30 Vita Heine (Nor) Norway National Team
31 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
32 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Parkhotel Valkenburg
33 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
34 Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
35 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
36 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
37 Annemarie Worst (Ned) Plantur-Pura
38 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
39 Ella Harris (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
40 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
41 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team SD Worx
42 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
43 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:00:41
44 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:00:52
45 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:00:55
46 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women
47 Urska Pintar (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
48 Julie De Wilde (Bel) Plantur-Pura
49 Birgitte Andersen Nilssen (Nor) Norway National Team
50 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women
51 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing
52 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:01:28
53 Roxane Fournier (Fra) Team SD Worx 0:01:32
54 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
55 Amber Kraak (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
56 Julie Van De Velde (Bel) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
57 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing
58 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
59 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
60 Emilie Moberg (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:01:41
61 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
62 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
63 Rotem Gafinovitz (Isr) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
64 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
65 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx
66 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM 0:02:08
67 Urska Zigart (Slo) Team BikeExchange 0:02:12
68 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:02:33
69 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:02:53
70 Wilma Olausson (Swe) Team DSM 0:03:05
71 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:40
72 Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Plantur-Pura 0:03:58
73 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:04:07
74 Rossella Ratto (Ita) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:04:16
75 Nina Buijsman (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:04:23
76 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo 0:05:05
77 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:05:53
78 Tiril Jørgensen (Nor) Norway National Team 0:06:38
79 Jessica Allen (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:07:21
80 Pien Limpens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:08:00
81 Tanja Erath (Ger) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
82 Ingrid Lorvik (Nor) Norway National Team
83 Elise Marie Olsen (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:09:24
84 Mari Hole Mohr (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:09:54
85 Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:10:23
86 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo 0:10:32
87 Anna Christian (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:10:35
88 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:11:07
89 Caroline Andersson (Swe) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:11:18
90 Demi De Jong (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:11:32
91 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:11:50
92 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
93 Sara Penton (Swe) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:11:59
94 Justine Ghekiere (Bel) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:12:03
95 Evy Kuijpers (Ned) Liv Racing 0:12:15
96 Manon Bakker (Ned) Plantur-Pura
97 Magdalene Lind (Nor) Norway National Team 0:13:43
98 Ann Helen Olsen (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:14:12
99 Natalie van Gogh (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:15:21
100 Elynor Backstedt (GBr) Trek-Segafredo 0:15:26