Published: Saturday 8 June 2024
Images: SWPix
Sprinting queen Lorena Wiebes powered to a blistering victory in the third stage of the 2024 Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women in Warrington to make it a hat-trick of wins for SD Worx-Protime.
The 106.8km race saw plenty of attacks and breaks throughout the day, but it all came down to a sprint finish with GC leader Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) delivering Wiebes to the third stage win ahead of Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL) and Georgia Baker (Liv-Alula-Jayco).
A flurry of attacks kicked off the racing out of Warrington, with Hess Cycling Team and Volkerwessels Women’s Pro-cycling Team controlling much of the race, before an attack from Jo Tindley (Pro-Noctis-200 ° Coffee-Hargreaves Contracting) stuck. Maddie Leech (Lifeplus-Wahoo) was straight on her wheel and the pair worked together to build a solid lead.
The British duo boasted a four minute gap on the peloton as Leech took the first Queen of the Mountain points of the day at the 40km mark just ahead of Tindley. Lucy Lee (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) trailed three minutes back as the lone chaser, while Queen of the Mountains jersey wearer Lizzie Deignan (Great Britain Cycling Team) took fourth from the main bunch.
Caitlin Dimbleby (Alba Development Road Team) attacked from the peloton and bridged over to Lee, while up ahead, Leech suffered with a mechanical and struggled to change gear, but still managed to claim top points on the second Queen of the Mountains up Shrigley Road.
On the descent, Leech’s issues on the bike were becoming further apparent, with Tindley starting to forge ahead. Just after riding through Pott Shrigley, Leech had to change her bike, swapping her Ribble for the personal bike of SD Worx-Protime DS Danny Stam.
Leech was caught by Lee and Dimbleby, with the trio working together before getting caught just before the intermediate sprint. Tindley battled on about a minute ahead, while a ferocious sprint from the peloton saw LIV-Alula-Jayco take control, with Letizia Paternoster crossing the line ahead of Ruby Roseman-Gannon.
SD Worx-Protime continued to power on the front, before Valerie Demey (Volkerwessels Women’s Pro-cycling Team) attacked inside the final 15km as the bunch swallowed up Tindley, who took the Combativity award for her efforts. A dropped chain for Demey foiled her chances, and she was quickly reeled back in as SD Worx-Protime, Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL and the Great Britain Cycling Team controlled the pace.
A fantastic lead out from SD Worx-Protime saw Wiebes strike at the perfect time to fire to the victory and once again prove herself as the best sprinter in the world. Kool was the only rider to challenge Wiebes, holding her wheel, but had to settle for second, while Georgia Baker (Liv-Alula-Jayco) secured third.
After two stage victories and a seventh place finish in Warrington, Kopecky continues to lead the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women GC and the sprinters classification, while Anna Henderson’s (Great Britain Cycling Team) 25th place was enough to retain second on the GC and the Best of British jersey. Deignan retains the Queen of the Mountains jersey as Eline Jansen (Volkerwessels Women’s Pro-cycling Team) also stays top of the Best Young Rider classification.
Speaking on her win, Wiebes said:
“The team did a really good job today. Elena [Cecchini] and Chantal [van den Broek-Blaak] were chasing all day so from the team car, the pressure was on. We were a bit in the middle and you all really have to fight for your position near the end. Christine [Majerus] took the last corner first and then quickly after Barb [Guarischi] had to go for Lotte and then I saw only 200 metres to go, so I also start my sprint.
“It’s good to finish it off and the team worked hard for it. In 2022, I also had a successful year in the UK, and I’m not sure why - it’s the roads! We always go for it when we race and we will go for the fourth stage too tomorrow.”
Kopecky added:
“The finish was perfect for Lorena and our team did really well the whole day. It was nice to be there as a team in the lead out and Lorena timed it perfectly. We are 17 seconds ahead on the GC so it’s not possible to lose much now!”
Named the first ever European Capital of Cycling for 2024, Greater Manchester will host the final stage of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women. The anticlockwise route will cross the Ashton Canal, heading northeast to take in the towns of Shaw and Rochdale and two Queen of the Mountains segments, including the iconic Rake climb in Ramsbottom. A fast, flat run into Leigh will set the stage for what is expected to be a spectacular finish to the race where spectators will witness history in action as the overall race winner will be crowned.
Find the full preview to the event here.
