Megan Guarnier wins Women's Tour de Yorkshire

Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) won the 2018 Women's Tour de Yorkshire, triumphing on the Cow and Calf summit finish on stage 2 to seal the overall title in the race's first iteration as a stage race.

The American attacked a few hundred metres from the summit of the 1.8km climb and rode confidently away from a select group of 14 riders that had gone clear after the penultimate climb of the day at Old Pool Bank.

Alena Amialusik (Canyon-SRAM) crossed the line in second place, some 14 seconds behind Guarner, with Dani Rowe (Great Britain) taking third place three seconds further back.

Guarnier had started the day seventh overall but, after the sprinters had their say on the opening day, there was only one general classification contender above her, and that was Rowe. The small gap, however, was quickly wiped out as Guarnier sprang clear, and the 10 bonus seconds for winning the stage meant she clinched the overall title by a margin of 17 seconds from Rowe. Amialusik rounded out the final podium at 19 seconds. 

Guarnier, a former winner of the Giro Rosa and Tour of California, pulled on the blue jersey and basked in her first victory of 2018, which tasted all the sweeter coming on her birthday. 

"All my teammates said 'give yourself a good present'," Guarnier said in her post-race flash interview. 

"My team were amazing, and they really set me up for this at the finish. Chantal took up the speed then Karol-Ann [Canuel] took it up, and I knew I had to finish it off. It's my first win of the season, and it's nice to be back."

For Rowe, who had gone after time bonuses at the intermediate sprints on both days, there was not a hint of disappointment with second place. 

"i'm so happy," she said. "I really targeted this race. After the Commonwealth Games I didn't have a break because I wanted to get back and really target this race before having a proper break. It's so special for me to race in my country, with the live coverage, and having two stages. I feel proud that this country is leading the way with cycling. I'm so happy I could pull it off."

How it unfolded

The second and final stage of the Women's Tour de Yorkshire threw more hills into the equation, with an early ascent of Blacker's Hill followed by constantly undulating terrain all the way to the pair of climbs in the finale. The Old Pool Bank climb, 1km at 10 per cent, topped out 15km shy of the foot of the Cow and Calf.

Nikki Juniper (NJC-Biemme-Echelon) took the KOM points at Blacker Hill but there was never a strong breakaway. Katia Ragusa (BePink) went away with Manon Lloyd (Trek-Drops) and they had a maximum advantage of nearly a minute, but their game was up by the intermediate sprint at Scholes with 44km to go, where Lloyd took the points ahead of stage 1 winner Kirsten Wild (Wiggle-High5) and Rowe in the peloton.

A dangerous move of five riders went clear on the approach to Old Pool Bank but the favourites remained calm and the race duly sprang to life on the climb itself, with an attack from Longo Borghini helping to establish a selection of 14 riders. Along with Guarnier, Amialiusik, Rowe, and Longo Borghini, it contained two of Guarner's teammates in Chantaal Blaak and Karol-Ann Canuel, as well as Erica Magnaldi (BePink), Ane Santesteban (Ale Cipollini), Janneke Ensing (Ale Cipollini), Liane Lippert (Sunweb), Juliette Labous (Sunweb), Ellen Van Dijk (Sunweb), Shara Gillow (FDJ), and Alexis Ryan (Canyon-SRAM).

After a few skirmishes on the approach, the steep gradients of the Cow and Calf would decide the race, and Boels Dolmans took control. First Blaak set the pace on the early ramps and pulled over, leaving Canuel to up the pace with a fierce acceleration. Rowe was in trouble but clung on, while Ensing was dropped.

Magnaldi tried an attack but never gained much ground, and then Guarnier decided to make her move once past the 500 metres to go banner. Her climbing skills were evident as she quickly opened a gap, and it only grew and grew as she made her way to the line for the sweetest of birthday presents.

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