Trek-Segafredo gained 32 seconds on GC after a pre-planned attack saw Elisa Balsamo deliver Elisa Longo Borghini into the winning move on stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes.
Balsamo attacked just after the final intermediate with 20km which was the catalyst for the six-rider group that stayed away to the finish. Rather than an opportunistic move on what was a tough finishing circuit, this was Trek-Segafredo's plan from the start of the day.
"We saw beforehand in the briefing this morning," Longo Borghini said. "[Trek DS] Ina Teutenberg was really prepared and she told us to go straight after the sprint because the sprinters would just calm down. We knew it was pretty technical going into the crosswinds section so we did."
The day was identified by many as a sprint stage, leaving the likes of fellow escapee Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) to believe Trek-Segafredo were backing Elisa Balsamo for the win, but Longo Borghini explained how the world champion was riding for the team's GC plans.
"Elisa [Balsamo] really wanted to go full gas for me," she said. "She was pulling like there was no tomorrow for me and in the end, I just had to keep the speed high because I didn't want to make our work useless just to watch each other for the final.
"It's something that you can't expect from a sprinter but she's more than a sprinter, she's a champion and she owns that jersey."
Longo Borghini has ambitions on the GC at the Tour de France Femmes after winning the Women's Tour and finishing fourth overall at the Giro Donne but admits that she will need to find ways to gain time before the climb-heavy final weekend.
"I can pace myself really well in the climbs but maybe I can't follow the very best, pure climbers, so I need to gain some time somewhere," she said.
"The Tour de France is pretty long, so it's like saving a little bit of money, then I have something to spare. I can pace myself well but the pure climbers are probably ten kilos less than me."
Though she missed out on the win on stage 2, the Italian held no disappointment about the day and was gracious in defeat to the "really strong" winner and new yellow jersey Marianne Vos.
"I'm never in comfort when those GOATs are going," she laughed at the finish. "In these kinds of finals Marianne is always really strong, what can you do?"
