The Women’s Tour (st. 1)

Frenchwoman up with the top sprinters at tricky Stowmarket finish; Spaniard into fight for bonus seconds -4th overall-, puts two Movistar Team riders into top-ten on stage one of the British race.

Belgian Jolien D’hoore (DLT) took the victory at the bunch sprint ending a long, demanding stage one in The Women’s Tour, 157km in Suffolk -from Beccles to Stowmarket- under pouring rain which only eased off near the finish.

??? Primer control de firmas para Movistar Team en el prestigioso @thewomenstour, hoy recorriendo -probablemente bajo la lluvia- el condado de Suffolk al sureste de Inglaterra. Etapas largas, técnicas y veloces por delante en estos primeros días. #OVOWT ? #AzulCieloYMásAllá ? pic.twitter.com/JemYaktnmR

— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) June 10, 2019

The Movistar Team fared impressively well in the opening stage of the British race, distributing well its six strong riders for the day’s different tasks. Oyarbide and González took care from the start of team-mates Jasinska, Biannic + Sheyla Gutiérrez and Roxane Fournier, the latter two focused on the day’s sprints up for grabs: the intermediate rushes and the finish.

Gutiérrez crossed second through the first intermediate sprint of the day and added a third second at the final sprint prior to the finish, which takes her to fourth overall, 7” behind D’hoore, who anticipated team-mate Amy Pieters (DLT), Lisa Brennauer (WNT) and a great Fournier, 4th with a great progression at the final slope.

Tuesday, the sprinters will be back in the mix into a fast circuit course in Kent (62km, 25 laps), two days before the mountains start near Wales.

Cover picture (c): Velofocus