The Women’s Tour 2021 – Stage 1 [Highlights] (ladies)

October 4, 2021

The Women’s Tour 2021 – Stage 1 WE – Bicester – Banbury : 147,7 km

After a two-year enforced hiatus the Women’s Tour is finally back, ready and raring to wrap up what has been one of the most dramatic Women’s World Tour seasons in recent memory. As the final WWT-ranked stage race of the year, the six-day event promises to deliver some thrilling racing as a handful of superstars go in search of one final big result. The six-day race will begin with a 147.6km-long stage from the Grand Départ in Bicester to Banbury that is a local spectacle for residents of Oxfordshire. Travelling as far south as Culham, the route passes through much of the county and will even hit the banks of the River Thames, before the riders head north to the finish in Banbury.

Marta Bastianelli (Alé BTC Ljubljana) has won stage 1 of the 2021 Women’s Tour. The Italian veteran was first across the line in an uphill bunch sprint in Banbury, beating Chloe Hosking (Trek-Segafredo) and Clara Copponi (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) to take the stage and the first leader’s jersey.

“It was a long race, but we were at least lucky from the weather point of view that it didn’t rain. My teammates stayed close to me, then at the last kilometre there was a fall that split the group, I was able to get up to the front, I took a good position and I was able to win the sprint,” Bastianelli said in a team press release.

“We are living a good moment, now we will see what will happen in the next days. As there are only four of us in the race we don’t have great ambitions for the general classification, also because I won’t be able to compete in the time trial. We will try to be protagonists and maybe try to win another stage.”

Bastianelli now leads the overall classification heading into stage 2, a 102km race in Walsall, by four seconds ahead of both Hosking and Nina Kessler (Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank), who picked up bonus seconds by winning the day’s two intermediate sprints.

How it unfolded

Starting in Bicester, the stage went through Oxfordshire for 147.7 kilometres to finish in Banbury after one-and-a-half laps of a finishing circuit. The stage included two intermediate sprints and three mountain sprints along the way. Despite some attacks, the peloton stayed together for a long time, and Nina Kessler (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) beat Australian champion Sarah Roy (Team BikeExchange) to the first intermediate sprint after 40.5km.

Anna Christian (Drops-Le Col s/b Tempur) and Kirstie van Haaften (Parkhotel Valkenburg) got away from the peloton shortly afterwards, but their lead was never more than 11 seconds, and they were quickly reeled in again.

As the route became hillier, Janneke Ensing (Team BikeExchange) went on the attack. Holding a lead of up to 35 seconds, Ensing won the mountain sprint on Iron Down Hill, with Canadian champion Alison Jackson (Liv Racing) and Demi Vollering leading the peloton over the top and catching up with the Dutchwoman.

Having reached the finishing circuit, Vollering and Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) initiated a small front group that was quickly brought back. Next to attack were Chiara Consonni (Valcar-Travel & Service) and Femke Markus (Parkhotel Valkenburg). At the Sibford Ferris mountain sprint, they had a 12-second advantage on the peloton led by Chabbey but were caught soon after.

After several unsuccessful attacks, it was Christian who got away again just before the first passage of the finish line. Briefly holding a 20-second gap, the Manxwoman was reeled in before the second intermediate sprint, won by Kessler ahead of Jackson and Roy.

The pace was high on the second ascent of Sibford Ferris, the final classified climb of the day, and a group of five riders jumped clear just after the mountain sprint: Chabbey, Juliette Labous (Team DSM), the Team SD Worx duo of Vollering and Amy Pieters, and Soraya Paladin (Liv Racing) had eked out a 15-second gap at the five-kilometre mark.

However, the sprinters’ teams came to the fore in the final, reducing the gap to four seconds one kilometre later and catching the front group with three kilometres to go. With a final attack thwarted, everyone was getting ready for the mass sprint when a crash in a roundabout with 1.2 kilometres to go brought down several riders, including Alice Barnes (Canyon-SRAM), Consonni, Liane Lippert (Team DSM), Jackson, and Ingvild Gåskjenn (Team Coop-Hitec Products). Bastianelli came through unscathed and had the upper hand in the sprint to win the stage.

Results :
1 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 3:44:41
2 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Trek-Segafredo
3 Clara Copponi (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
4 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women
5 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx
6 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
7 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
8 Josie Nelson (GBr) Team Coop Hitec Products
9 Amy Pieters (Ned) Team SD Worx
10 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM
11 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
12 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM
13 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team SD Worx
14 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx
15 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Team SD Worx
16 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
17 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
18 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
19 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
20 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
21 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing
22 Ella Harris (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
23 Joscelin Lowden (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
24 Pien Limpens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
25 Natalie Grinczer (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
26 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
27 Mischa Bredewold (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
28 Abi Smith (GBr) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
29 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
30 Nicole Frain (Aus) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
31 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
32 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange
33 Lauren Stephens (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
34 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
35 Jade Wiel (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
36 Hayley Simmonds (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
37 Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
38 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
39 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:00:26
40 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo
41 Maaike Boogaard (Ned) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:00:35
42 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
43 Amber van der Hulst (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:17
44 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:19
45 Danielle Christmas (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
46 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange 0:01:24
47 Veronica Ewers (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:01:32
48 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
49 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
50 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women
51 Connie Hayes (GBr) AWOL Oshea 0:01:45
52 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM
53 April Tacey (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:03:02
54 Kirstie van Haaften (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
55 Margaux Vigie (Fra) Valcar-Travel & Service
56 Anna Christian (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:03:03
57 Alice Lethbridge (GBr) AWOL Oshea
58 Becky Storrie (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
59 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:03:06
60 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
61 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:03:11
62 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:17
63 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
64 Mari Hole Mohr (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
65 Teniel Campbell (TTo) Team BikeExchange
66 Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women
67 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
68 Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) Team DSM
69 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team DSM 0:03:47
70 Megan Jastrab (USA) Team DSM 0:05:34
71 Marjolein Van’T Geloof (Ned) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:05:38
72 Jessica Finney (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi 0:12:02
73 Katie Scott (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
74 Alice Towers (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
75 Phoebe Martin (GBr) AWOL Oshea
76 Hannah Bayes (GBr) AWOL Oshea
77 Francesca Morgans Slader (GBr) AWOL Oshea 0:12:05
78 Emma Edwards (USA) CAMS-Tifosi
79 Caroline Andersson (Swe) Team Coop Hitec Products
80 Olivia Bent (GBr) AWOL Oshea
81 Jessica Allen (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:12:08
82 Maëlle Grossetete (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
83 Evy Kuijpers (Ned) Liv Racing
84 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing
85 Pernille Larsen Feldmann (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:12:11
86 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing
DNF Tanja Erath (Ger) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Emma Boogaard (Ned) Team Coop Hitec Products
DNF Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

General Classification after Stage 1 :
1 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 3:44:31
2 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:04
3 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
4 Clara Copponi (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:06
5 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:00:07
6 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing 0:00:08
7 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:00:09
8 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:00:10
9 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx
10 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
11 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
12 Josie Nelson (GBr) Team Coop Hitec Products
13 Amy Pieters (Ned) Team SD Worx
14 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM
15 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM
16 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team SD Worx
17 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Team SD Worx
18 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
19 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
20 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
21 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
22 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing
23 Ella Harris (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
24 Joscelin Lowden (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
25 Pien Limpens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
26 Natalie Grinczer (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
27 Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
28 Mischa Bredewold (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
29 Abi Smith (GBr) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
30 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
31 Nicole Frain (Aus) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
32 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
33 Ane Santesteban Gonzalez (Spa) Team BikeExchange
34 Lauren Stephens (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
35 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
36 Jade Wiel (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
37 Hayley Simmonds (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
38 Lourdes Oyarbide Jimenez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
39 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
40 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
41 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
42 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
43 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women
44 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM
45 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
46 Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) Team DSM
47 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing
48 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:00:36
49 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo
50 Maaike Boogaard (Ned) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:00:45
51 Amber van der Hulst (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:27
52 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:29
53 Danielle Christmas (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
54 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange 0:01:34
55 Veronica Ewers (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:01:42
56 Connie Hayes (GBr) AWOL Oshea 0:01:55
57 April Tacey (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:03:12
58 Kirstie van Haaften (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
59 Margaux Vigie (Fra) Valcar-Travel & Service
60 Anna Christian (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:03:13
61 Alice Lethbridge (GBr) AWOL Oshea
62 Becky Storrie (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
63 Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:03:16
64 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:03:21
65 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:27
66 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
67 Mari Hole Mohr (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
68 Teniel Campbell (TTo) Team BikeExchange
69 Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women
70 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
71 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team DSM 0:03:57
72 Megan Jastrab (USA) Team DSM 0:05:44
73 Marjolein Van’T Geloof (Ned) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:05:48
74 Jessica Finney (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi 0:12:12
75 Katie Scott (GBr) CAMS-Tifosi
76 Alice Towers (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
77 Phoebe Martin (GBr) AWOL Oshea
78 Hannah Bayes (GBr) AWOL Oshea
79 Francesca Morgans Slader (GBr) AWOL Oshea 0:12:15
80 Emma Edwards (USA) CAMS-Tifosi
81 Caroline Andersson (Swe) Team Coop Hitec Products
82 Olivia Bent (GBr) AWOL Oshea
83 Jessica Allen (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:12:18
84 Maëlle Grossetete (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
85 Evy Kuijpers (Ned) Liv Racing
86 Pernille Larsen Feldmann (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:12:21