Blanka Vas leader in La Vuelta Femenina

Blanka Vas leader in La Vuelta Femenina

Hungarian champion leads thanks to bonification seconds

29/04/2024

Linked race La Vuelta Feminina 2024 - Linked cyclists Demi Vollering Elena Cecchini Niamh Fisher-Black Blanka Vas Barbara Guarischi Mischa Bredewold Marlen Reusser - Gekoppelde ploegleiders: Danny Stam

Blanka Vas captured the overall lead in the second stage of La Vuelta Femenina. The Hungarian champion finished second in an intermediate sprint and second in the stage result behind Canadian Alison Jackson. Thanks to the ten bonification seconds she took over the red leader's jersey.

Behind the finish, there was some disappointment that Vas was beaten by a bike length by Jackson in the sprint for the stage win. The disappointment quickly disappeared after she learned she could don the red leader's jersey thanks to the bonus seconds. She grabbed four seconds for the second place at the intermediate sprint with 30 kilometres to go, already virtually leading the race. At the finish, her second place was further rewarded with six bonus seconds. One day into the TTT, Team SD Worx - Protime had lost just one second on leader Gaia Realini and the rest of the Lidl-Trek team. As a result, Vas now leads Jackson by eight seconds after which some riders from Lidl-Trek and Visma | Lease a Bike are at nine seconds.

"It is very nice for Blanka that she now has the leader's jersey around her shoulders," sports manager Danny Stam indicated. "This was not a plan. It has been a bit of a coincidence, with the hectic final playing into our hands. We would see who we would race for after the climb. That's where we did draw the card of Blanka then. The intermediate sprint was not really a goal. We had indicated beforehand that if the opportunity arose everyone should look there for seconds. Blanka did that handsomely. Just as she rode a good sprint. If she was positioned a bit better, there might have been more in it. But with the slippery road surface and many falls, we can also be happy to be on the podium and not have suffered any injuries. We are not going to put too much energy into the next stage for her red leader's jersey. We are here to win La Vuelta Femenina and in the tough final stages we will need all our energy."

Blanka Vas also indicated after the podium ceremony that this was not planned. "I didn't have the best legs today, but it was a very technical final that suited me. It wasn't really planned that I would take the bonification seconds, but I was in front for the intermediate sprint so I tried. It's nice to have the red jersey now and it would be nice if we can keep it in the team. The goal is to win this Vuelta Femenina with the team. I'm really happy with the jersey."

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