After a disappointing 13th place on stage 1 of the UAE Tour Women, Nienke Veenhoven (Visma-Lease a Bike) came from behind on the finishing straight of stage 2 and secured third place, reaffirming her sprint pedigree.
Cyclingnews spoke to the Dutchwoman about getting the sprint train dialed in and racing on a team with superstars like Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
“It was really chaotic in the last four kilometres, actually, but the team managed to put me and Margaux [Vigié] in a good position before the corners, and I just followed her and did my sprint. Especially after yesterday where we messed up a bit as a team, it’s nice that today we showed that we can do it,” said the 21-year-old.
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The first races of a new season always see teams trying to fine-tune their sprint trains, and on the 11-kilometre finishing straight in Madinat Zayed on stage 1, the team’s tactic hadn’t worked out.
“Yesterday, the plan was to come from behind. We didn’t stick to it because we were in a good position, but it was way too early," Veenhoven explained. "I was all on my own in the final. But we learned from that, and I’m happy about that. We can take advantage of that in the next races this season.”
Throughout the largely uneventful stage 2, the yellow-and-black kits of Visma-Lease a Bike were almost exclusively found at the back of the peloton. This wasn’t to compensate for being at the front too early the day before though, but a mix of a tactical choice and simply wanting to have a nice time.
“We could joke around a bit with the girls and with the DS in the car,” laughed Veenhoven. “And saving as much energy as possible for the final.
"It doesn’t make sense that we are riding at the front, then it’s better to be safe at the back than in the mess in the peloton."
With Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) in the red leader’s jersey as stage 1 winner, and eventually winning stage 2 as well, the team left the work of chasing down the breakaway to the team of the overwhelming favourite.
“They are in the position to chase because they always have the best sprinter in that team, so for us, it makes sense to save energy and try something in the final. We have to be smart to beat her [Wiebes] because she is really strong,” Veenhoven said.
In the absence of the team’s big stars, Vos and Ferrand-Prévot, Veenhoven can go for her own chances at the UAE Tour Women. The young sprinter said that the team manages the expectations of both the big names and their upcoming talents well.
“Of course, the team wants to win the big races, and of course the main women for that are Marianne and Pauline. You know that when they are starting, you work for them, but you get something in return.
"In races like this, we get a lot of chances to build a good sprint train, to go in a break or something. The team really believes in the team development, but also in the personal development, and I think we have a good balance that keeps everybody happy.
"It brings the team to a higher level, you can have a chat with them and learn from them because they know everything, so it’s really nice to have them in the team,” said Veenhoven.
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