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May 26, 2023
Thüringen Ladies Tour 2023 – Stage 4 – Gotha – Gotha : 133,7 km
The LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour is one of the oldest stage races on the women’s racing calendar,
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May 26, 2023
Thüringen Ladies Tour 2023 – Stage 4 – Gotha – Gotha : 133,7 km
The LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour is one of the oldest stage races on the women’s racing calendar, with its debut edition dating all the way back to 1988. Comprising six stages, the race is also one of the longest on the calendar. The six-day event, based in Germany, returned in 2021 after a one-year hiatus, largely thanks to a remarkable crowdfunding campaign. Citing a lack of finance to cover the extra costs needed to host the event in a safe manner during the pandemic, the race organisers appealed to their fans to raise €35,000 and in the end fundraised almost €47,000. As it has done for the past three decades, the race will follow an undulating, six-day route that favours neither the puncheurs or climbers entirely. Instead, this is a race for the fast-finishing opportunists, those riders who are willing to risk it all to win it all.
Another day and another victory for Team SD Worx as Lonneke Uneken won stage 4 of the Thüringen Ladies Tour. The 23-year-old accelerated in the final uphill corner with 100 metres to go and passed Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling), who settled for second place on her 26th birthday.
Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) finished third, seven seconds later, after fading just before the final corner.
Team SD Worx duo of Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes led the charge of the chase group and rolled across the line in front of Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Team Jayco AlUla), 19 seconds back.
“Really happy, of course. I’m the third rider on the team to win a stage, it’s a dream,” Uneken said at the finish. “For me today, it was not the plan to end up in the front group and go for a sprint. When you have multiple cards to play, yeah, it makes it fun for us.”
Remaining in the race lead was Mischa Bredewold (Team SD Worx). She finished four seconds behind her teammates Kopecky and Wiebes, who now trail Bredewold by 10 seconds for a Team SD Worx control of the top three spot on GC and two days remaining to race.
HOW IT UNFOLDED
Stage 4 featured 135.5km around Gotha, one short lap and then a long lap that provided several uphill kickers in the final 4.7km to the line.
The first riders to separate from the peloton were Rachael Wales (ARA-Skip Capital) and Maaike Coljé (Arkéa Pro Cycling) but were back in the peloton mid-way through the stage. Coljé launched another attack with 41km to go, but was caught less than 10km later.
With 25km to go the trio of Lonneke Uneken (Team SD Worx), Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling) and Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) held a 40-second advantage over the peloton, being pulled by UAE Team ADQ.
Movement from the peloton began with 14km to as Team SD Worx massed Mischa Bredewold, Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky at the front and pushed the pace, the long leash of the breakaway beginning to get pulled back and cutting the gap in half.
Elizabeth Holden (UAE Team ADQ) struck out from the peloton with 11.5km to go, not gaining much separation but spurring the peloton to react and increase the pace yet again.
The effort of the trio continued with 2km to go, as the peloton had them in their sights, but could not make a dent into the space between to join the final sprint.
Results :
, who settled for second place on her 26th birthday.
Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) finished third, seven seconds later, after fading just before the final corner.
Team SD Worx duo of Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes led the charge of the chase group and rolled across the line in front of Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Team Jayco AlUla), 19 seconds back.
“Really happy, of course. I’m the third rider on the team to win a stage, it’s a dream,” Uneken said at the finish. “For me today, it was not the plan to end up in the front group and go for a sprint. When you have multiple cards to play, yeah, it makes it fun for us.”
Remaining in the race lead was Mischa Bredewold (Team SD Worx). She finished four seconds behind her teammates Kopecky and Wiebes, who now trail Bredewold by 10 seconds for a Team SD Worx control of the top three spot on GC and two days remaining to race.
<strong>HOW IT UNFOLDED</strong>
Stage 4 featured 135.5km around Gotha, one short lap and then a long lap that provided several uphill kickers in the final 4.7km to the line.
The first riders to separate from the peloton were Rachael Wales (ARA-Skip Capital) and Maaike Coljé (Arkéa Pro Cycling) but were back in the peloton mid-way through the stage. Coljé launched another attack with 41km to go, but was caught less than 10km later.
With 25km to go the trio of Lonneke Uneken (Team SD Worx), Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling) and Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) held a 40-second advantage over the peloton, being pulled by UAE Team ADQ.
Movement from the peloton began with 14km to as Team SD Worx massed Mischa Bredewold, Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky at the front and pushed the pace, the long leash of the breakaway beginning to get pulled back and cutting the gap in half.
Elizabeth Holden (UAE Team ADQ) struck out from the peloton with 11.5km to go, not gaining much separation but spurring the peloton to react and increase the pace yet again.
The effort of the trio continued with 2km to go, as the peloton had them in their sights, but could not make a dent into the space between to join the final sprint.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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