Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region: Late-race attack and powerful sprint net Eleonora Gasparrini victory in Stuttgart

Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ) secured the victory at the Grand Prix Stuttgart & Region after a late-race attack and a powerful sprint saw her cross the line ahead of runner-up Lieke Nooijen (Visma-Lease a Bike) and third-placed Mareille Meijering (Movistar) in Stuttgart.

"Today the team was amazing. From first to last my teammates were very good, from the start controlling and closing in on the breakaways. In the circuit, we always stayed in front. In the final, there was still Lach in front, so we tried to set a strong pace on the last climb with Dominika and then on the last climb they attacked again and that's when I made my move. There were three of us left and I sprinted as best I could. I'm really very happy," Gasparrini said.

The one-day Pro Series event was a 118.2km race from Böblingen to Stuttgart where the field tackled three finishing circuits.

Teams UAE Team ADQ and Uno-X Mobility set the pace at the front of the field in the opening kilometres, pulling back early attacks from Pia Grünewald (LKT), Magdalene Lind (Team Coop-Repsol), Mijntje Geurts (Visma-Lease a Bike), and Marieke Meert (VolkerWessel), Martina Testa ( BePink) and Cat Ferguson (Movistar).

The field remained intact during the first half of the race as Movistar moved to the front. Their rider Ferguson launched another attack and as she was caught, Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek) counter-attacked.

Chapman formed a three-rider breakaway with Dominika Wlordarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) and Floortje Mackaij (Movistar) and they were later joined by Eva Van Agt (Visma-Lease a Bike).

The move didn't last long as Canyon-SRAM reeled them in with just under 60km to go.

In the closing 40km, Lidl-Trek, Human Powered Health and Ceratizit-WNT were the dominant teams at the front of the field but it was Anneke Dijkstra (VolkerWessel) who won the intermediate sprint the first time through the finish line on the Stuttgart circuits.

Dijkstra and Van Agt opened a gap on the field, soon followed by Marta Lach (Ceratizit-WNT) with 20km (two laps) to go. As the trio were reeled back in a counter-attack including Wlodarczyk, Meijering and Justyna Czapla (Canyon-SRAM).

Visma-Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek and UAE Team ADQ led the field into the final kilometres as Mackaij launched an attack followed by Nooijen, but it was Gasparrini who sprinted to the victory on the finish line.

Results

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