Description
September 3, 2022
Simac Ladies Tour 2022 – Stage 5 ITT – Windraak – Watersley : 17,8 km
This six-day stage-race held in the low country of the Netherlands is often the final week-long race on the Women’s WorldTour calendar and therefore a massive objective for those riders still chasing a big result.
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September 3, 2022
Simac Ladies Tour 2022 – Stage 5 ITT – Windraak – Watersley : 17,8 km
This six-day stage-race held in the low country of the Netherlands is often the final week-long race on the Women’s WorldTour calendar and therefore a massive objective for those riders still chasing a big result. The race is characterised by its explosive opening prologue and handful of unpredictable road stages on the twisting, narrow roads that weave an intricate web over the Dutch countryside. As a result, it’s a race that favours the powerful time trialists and courageous opportunists – those riders who are brave enough to risk it all for the chance to win it all.
Audrey Cordon-Ragot of Trek-Segafredo won stage 5 of the Simac Ladies Tour, a 17.8-kilometre time trial around Sittard. The French time trial champion stopped the clock at 25:15 minutes.
Overall leader Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) rode a strong time trial to finish fifth in 25:36 minutes, defending her yellow jersey by six seconds before Sunday’s final road stage.
“I am very happy about this victory. I had a plan for the time trial, but I did not expect to win it at all. It has been a tough first half of the season for me with COVID before I came back at the national championships,” said Cordon-Ragot.
“I had a plan and followed it. I had the watts I needed in every part of the course, it was really technical and I love that. I just stayed in my bubble and did what I had to do. It was a good preparation for the Worlds because that is also going to be technical, and I am happy to come home with a stage win.”
How it unfolded
The 17.8km out and back course included almost 30 turns, making it very technical. Fortunately the weather stayed dry throughout the race.
Eva Buurman (Liv Racing Xstra) was the first starter, and her time of 26:59 minutes stood until Canyon-SRAM’s Lisa Klein finished in 26:21 minutes.
19-year-old Elise Uijen (Team DSM) left everything on the road in her first-ever elite time trial and beat Klein’s time by ten seconds. Uijen crashed after the finish but quickly got up again to take the hot seat.
The next rider to set a best time was Alice Barnes (Canyon-SRAM) in 25:57 minutes, but Amanda Spratt (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) pulverised that time with 25:25 minutes. Julie De Wilde (Plantur-Pura) beat Spratt’s intermediate time by fractions of a second but then lost three seconds on the second half of the course.
Riejanne Markus (Team Jumbo-Visma) further improved on De Wilde’s intermediate time and went even faster towards the finish, stopping the clock at 25:18 minutes, seven seconds faster than Spratt.
The 2021 overall winner Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Team SD Worx) had hoped to go for the yellow jersey again but suffered a puncture and had to change bikes twice during her ride. She finished almost two minutes behind Cordon-Ragot and so is now out of the GC race.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) rode a good time trial in 25:51 minutes and moved up to fifth place in the GC standings.
Late starter Cordon-Ragot set a new best intermediate time of 13:19 minutes after 8.5 km, six seconds faster than Markus, while Karlijn Swinkels (Team Jumbo-Visma) lost 15 seconds to Cordon-Ragot on the first part of the course.
Wiebes did better and was only eight seconds behind the Frenchwoman halfway through. The final part of the course would prove to be decisive.
Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) and Alison Jackson (Liv Racing Xstra) lost ground in the GC race with finishing times of 26:07 minutes and 26:10 minutes, respectively, almost a minute slower than Cordon-Ragot who finished in 25:15 minutes.
Swinkels lost more time to finish in 25:52 minutes and drop down to third place overall, but Wiebes did well to limit her losses to 21 seconds.
Cordon-Ragot was crowned as the stage winner with her 25:15 time but Wiebes takes a six-second lead over Cordon-Ragot into the final stage.
Results :
 rode a strong time trial to finish fifth in 25:36 minutes, defending her yellow jersey by six seconds before Sunday’s final road stage.
“I am very happy about this victory. I had a plan for the time trial, but I did not expect to win it at all. It has been a tough first half of the season for me with COVID before I came back at the national championships,” said Cordon-Ragot.
“I had a plan and followed it. I had the watts I needed in every part of the course, it was really technical and I love that. I just stayed in my bubble and did what I had to do. It was a good preparation for the Worlds because that is also going to be technical, and I am happy to come home with a stage win."
<strong>How it unfolded</strong>
The 17.8km out and back course included almost 30 turns, making it very technical. Fortunately the weather stayed dry throughout the race.
Eva Buurman (Liv Racing Xstra) was the first starter, and her time of 26:59 minutes stood until Canyon-SRAM’s Lisa Klein finished in 26:21 minutes.
19-year-old Elise Uijen (Team DSM) left everything on the road in her first-ever elite time trial and beat Klein’s time by ten seconds. Uijen crashed after the finish but quickly got up again to take the hot seat.
The next rider to set a best time was Alice Barnes (Canyon-SRAM) in 25:57 minutes, but Amanda Spratt (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) pulverised that time with 25:25 minutes. Julie De Wilde (Plantur-Pura) beat Spratt’s intermediate time by fractions of a second but then lost three seconds on the second half of the course.
Riejanne Markus (Team Jumbo-Visma) further improved on De Wilde’s intermediate time and went even faster towards the finish, stopping the clock at 25:18 minutes, seven seconds faster than Spratt.
The 2021 overall winner Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Team SD Worx) had hoped to go for the yellow jersey again but suffered a puncture and had to change bikes twice during her ride. She finished almost two minutes behind Cordon-Ragot and so is now out of the GC race.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) rode a good time trial in 25:51 minutes and moved up to fifth place in the GC standings.
Late starter Cordon-Ragot set a new best intermediate time of 13:19 minutes after 8.5 km, six seconds faster than Markus, while Karlijn Swinkels (Team Jumbo-Visma) lost 15 seconds to Cordon-Ragot on the first part of the course.
Wiebes did better and was only eight seconds behind the Frenchwoman halfway through. The final part of the course would prove to be decisive.
Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) and Alison Jackson (Liv Racing Xstra) lost ground in the GC race with finishing times of 26:07 minutes and 26:10 minutes, respectively, almost a minute slower than Cordon-Ragot who finished in 25:15 minutes.
Swinkels lost more time to finish in 25:52 minutes and drop down to third place overall, but Wiebes did well to limit her losses to 21 seconds.
Cordon-Ragot was crowned as the stage winner with her 25:15 time but Wiebes takes a six-second lead over Cordon-Ragot into the final stage.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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