The look on Letizia Paternoster's face when she learned she had seized the lead of La Vuelta Femenina on stage 2 said it all - surprise, joy, disbelief.
The Italian sprinted to second place behind Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the wet, technical run-in to the finish of the 99-kilometre stage to Sant Boi de Llobregat, but Paternoster was unaware that overnight leader Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) wasn't in the leading peloton.
With the six-second time bonus for her stage 2 finish, Paternoster now holds a two-second lead over Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime), with Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek) in third.
"I don't know what happened. I don't know how, but I am the leader of my first La Vuelta Femenina, and I am absolutely shocked at the moment," Paternoster said.
"I am so happy and grateful because tomorrow I start with the red jersey and Liv AlUla Jayco on it and this team deserves everything. The staff and the girls work so much and finally, I bring something to them.
"I feel so grateful to be part of this family and for me, it means so much to bring something to this team because they deserve so much in life. They saved my career and to be here I am so proud just to say thanks to our team, all of our sponsors and the people around because they are amazing. They deserve so much."
It was a hectic finale, as a light rain fell on the final kilometres of the stage, causing several crashes and near-crashes when riders lost traction on the slick roads. Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) had a heart-stopping moment when she began to slide on the exit of a turn but managed to keep her bike upright.
Neve Bradbury (Canyon-SRAM) went down in a roundabout and lost 2:11 on the stage. In the final 200 metres, a crash from Cat Ferguson (Movistar) in the last bend disrupted the sprint, but Paternoster avoided the chaos.
"What a fantastic day for Letizia, the team here in Spain and the greater team as a whole. When we win, we all win," Sports Director Gene Bates said.
"To take the red jersey today and to finish second on the stage to Marianne Vos certainly feels like a win for our team. We wanted to target the stage for Letizia and we knew the stage would really suit her characteristics. It was very technical and with the rain, it made it even more so, and we saw in the final there that she really knows how to handle her bike.
"She is one of the best in those situations so it was fantastic to see her get up there and claiming the jersey today, it was the icing on the cake. Also, to get through safely, there were a few crashes out there today and we knew how treacherous the descent would be, particularly if it was wet. I'm pleased we got through safely and didn't lose any time.
"That was another big goal ticked off. Two days in, the team is really confident and we've got some big momentum so looking forward to the coming days."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our La Vuelta Femenina coverage. Don't miss any of the breaking news, reports, and analysis from one of the biggest women's stage races of the season. Find out more.
