Vuelta a Burgos Féminas: Demi Vollering smashes stage 2 uphill finish to take race lead

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Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) won stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos Féminas, attacking from a reduced peloton on the final kilometre of the 3.8-kilometre climb to the Alto de Rosales.

Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) and Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) tried to follow the Dutch champion but could not hold her wheel, and Vollering opened a gap of four seconds to runner-up Muzic and nine seconds to third-placed Swinkels.

With the bonus seconds, Vollering now leads the GC by eight seconds to Muzic and 11 seconds to Swinkels.

How it unfolded

The 123.4-kilometre stage started in Briviesca and included the third-category Alto de Barcina after 31km, as well as four unclassified short climbs in the last 30km before the finishing climb.

Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) attacked on the Alto de Barcina to take maximum points but was reeled in again after the climb, and a new breakaway formed consisting of

Ecuadorian champion Miryam Núñez (Primeau Vélo-Groupe Abadie), Marta Romeu (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi), Cypriot champion Antri Christoforou (Roland), and Valentina Basilico (Eneicat-CMTeam).

Their advantage hovered around the two-minute mark for a long time, but with 40km to go, the peloton started the chase in earnest, catching the escapees 32km from the finish.

There were two crashes in the last hour of racing, and although most racers got off lightly, Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility), wearing the mountain jersey after her stage 1 solo breakaway, was seen clutching her arm, the tell-tale sign of a possible collarbone fracture.

Movistar Team tried to launch attacks off the front of the peloton, but their moves were quickly neutralised. Soraya Paladin (Canyon-SRAM) won the intermediate sprint ahead of Swinkels to take three bonus seconds, and soon after that, several moves led to a group of 17 riders with a small advantage on the peloton.

Marlen Reusser (SD Worx-Protime) took responsibility for bringing this group back with 17.7km to go, and after that, everybody got ready for the hilltop finish.

Vollering’s team took control of the peloton on the high-speed passage through Medina de Pomar, and Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime) was first onto the climb with Vollering and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) on her wheel. Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) had brought her teammate Liane Lippert to the front, and Swinkels was right beside the German champion.

When Gerritse swung out at the three-kilometre mark, Wiebes continued to set a high pace, whittling down the peloton to about 50 riders while Jade Wiel (FDJ-SUEZ) brought Muzic and Léa Curinier to the front.

Curinier took over from Wiebes with 1.7km to go, further reducing the peloton to 23 riders at the flamme rouge. Vollering accelerated hard 900 metres from the finish, and only Swinkels could hold her wheel as Muzic had to let a small gap open and Élise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) was another bike length behind.

As Muzic was clawing her way back to Swinkels’ wheel, Vollering dropped her compatriot too, continuing her high pace all the way to the finish. Muzic passed Swinkels at the 500-metre mark and dropped her as well, coming closer to Vollering on the last metres, but Vollering crossed the finish line with a five-second advantage. Behind Swinkels, Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Cannondale) and Chabbey lost 13 seconds, ahead of a group of seven riders at 19 seconds.

Results

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