Movistar Team takes 9th in wet Vårgårda TTT
11 August 2018

UCI Women's WorldTour

Telefónica-backed squad just over 3' behind winners Boels-Dolmans at grueling day in Sweden, under cold, rainy conditions which affected some of the Blues.

Boels-Dolmans took a third consecutive win in the PostNord Vårgårda WestSweden TTT, the traditional first stop of the UCI Women’s WorldTour in Sweden. The 42.5km course was overshadowed by cold and rain, the Dutch-registered team (53’07”) still able to put on a resounding performance which bested Sunweb by 16″ and left Cervélo-Bigla 47″ behind. Against a world-class field, the Movistar Team completed a decent performance to finish within the top ten.

At only their second TTT since the Jorge Sanz-led squad first competed back in February, the Blues -with Biannic, García, González, Jasinska, Neylan and Oyarbide– rode orderly and only struggled at the section after the main climb to Hägrungabacken, where suffering inherent to bad weather conditions seriously affected the group’s performance.

It was ultimately a 9th spot for the Spanish squad, 3’07” behind the winners, in the demanding prelude to Monday’s road race -141km; live pictures on Eurosport-, with four gravel sections prior to the rolling, decisive circuit.

— Intermediate results:

1) 16.4km: Virtu, 18.35; Wiggle, 19.20; Sunweb, 19.26 … 8. Movistar Team 19.36
2) 31.9km: Sunweb, 38.58; Boels-Dolmans, 39.04; Cervélo-Bigla, 39,23 … 9. Movistar Team, 41.04

Picture (c): Sean Robinson / Vélofocus