Ellen van Dijk wins Healthy Ageing Tour

Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo) won her fourth overall title at the Healthy Ageing Tour on Friday. The Dutch time trial specialist took the overall race lead after winning the stage 2 time trial Merckx-style and then maintained her lead through the final stage 3 in Wijste. 

Van Dijk finished the three-day race with the overall victory by six seconds ahead of Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT) and 12 seconds ahead of Emma Norsgaard (Movistar).

“I’m super happy that we could finish it off because the team was a really strong force, it was like one unit. It was so cool to see them all working and to be able to ride behind them almost all race. I knew I had to do my own thing in the finale, and I also really wanted to do this for them. Everyone rode so strong and in the final Lauretta [Hanson] was super, super good to help me as well,” said Van Dijk.

The stage 3 victory, however, belonged to Lonneke Uneken (SD Worx) who secured a solo win in Wijste. Uneken finished the stage by 1:14 ahead of runner-up Norsgaard and third-placed Brennauer.

"It was really hard and I attacked early in the stage. I attacked again, had a gap and I only had to keep riding. To take the victory here is great," Uneken said.

The final day of racing at the Healthy Ageing Tour offered the women's peloton 115km of racing in Wijster that included 17 laps over the VAM-Berg, a 400-metre climb with an average 6 per cent grade.

After 45 kilometres of racing a decisive breakaway formed that included Uneken and Norsgaard, along with stage 1 winner Jolien D'hoore (SD Worx), Anna Hendersen (Jumbo-Visma), Lauretta Hanson (Trek-Segafredo). They gained 1:40 on the field led by Trek-Segafredo that were keeping their overnight leader Van Dijk well-protected.

The main field dwindled after each lap over the VAM-berg with less than 45 riders in the field at the halfway point of the race. Uneken took the most mountain points over the VAM-berg, while her teammate D'hoore collected full points at the first intermediate sprint.

Hanson eventually dropped out of the breakaway to help her overall leader Van Dijk manage the gap to the breakaway, which was down to 40 seconds with 35km to go. 

Once the break had been caught, a new group formed that included, once again, Uneken, Norsgaard, and Hendersen, along with Karol Ann Canuel (SD Worx). Two riders, Lisa Klein (Canyon-SRAM) and D'hoore chased, and Christine Majerus (SD Worx) and Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit) also jumped from the main field to try to bridge across to the move.

Uneken made her winning solo move and with 18km to go, she held over a minute gap on a group of eight chasers, which included Klein, and then Van Dijk, Brennauer, and Amy Pieters (SD Worx).

Uneken's gap exploded to 2:45 minutes and with 2km to go, it was clear she had sealed the stage 3 victory and the mountain classification.

Norsgaard took the sprint for second place on the day ahead of Brennauer in third, and Van Dijk crossed the line in fourth with the overall victory.