Van Aert again strongest at Heusden-Zolder
Wout van Aert has won at Heusden-Zolder for the third year in a row. On the fast...
The women's edition of the Tour de Suisse is over. For Team Jumbo-Visma, the final stage in and around Ebnat-Kappel did not go according to plan. Despite the attacking spirit of Rosita Reijnhout, the team saw Amber Kraak drop from fifth to ninth place in the general classification on the last day.
Reijnhout was part of the final breakaway. Ten riders took a lead of around two minutes. On the day's highlight, the Hemberg, Reijnhout was able to follow, but a duo of escape companions proved stronger.
Not long after that, the favourites joined the fray. Kraak was initially in a good position but gave too much on a short climb. Together with team-mate Kim Cadzow, she had to rely on the chase, with ninth place in the general classification the best they could do.
"The main goal was to keep Amber in fifth place", race coach Lieselot Decroix said. "To do this, we wanted to send someone in the early breakaway to have an extra rider in the final. Rosita did an excellent job and was in the breakaway. She survived the Hemberg."
"Overall, we can still be proud of this young team"
Decroix continued: "After that, the race exploded. Amber was still holding on in the first local lap. She gave too much there and had to let go. Kim went with her. It became another long time trial to limit the damage. We have to accept the ninth place for Amber in the final standings. We are a bit disappointed because we hoped to hold on to fifth place. However, we rode a good race here with a young and eager selection. Overall, we can still be proud of this young team, which performed at a high level", Decroix concluded.