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Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) won stage 2 of the Vuelta Femenina in a sprint of those who survived a crash-marred final, beating Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) and Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ). Having taken bonus seconds at the finish and the intermediate sprint, Vas is the new overall leader.
A breakaway of six was reeled in on the only classified climb of the day, the Puerto de L’Oronet and only 45 riders crested the climb together. Charlotte Kool (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) was the most prominent sprinter among the dropped riders, and the remaining 38km turned into a pursuit.
Kool’s group had come within 20 seconds of the peloton at the five-kilometre mark, but the wet roads and roundabouts caused several crashes in the last three kilometres, and it was a reduced peloton that sprinted for the victory with Jackson taking the win.
“I came in with a real fire to win this. My teammates took care of me right from the beginning to the finish,” said Jackson, already having celebrated the stage win with her trademark dance moves after the finish.
“When the crashes were happening, I kept being safe, playing it smart, and in the final, the group caught the four of us that made it through the crashes first. My teammate Kristen [Faulkner] was there and went full gas at 500 [metres]. She is so strong, I knew that no one would be able to come around. I got to choose my sprint when I wanted, and it’s unbelievable to come away with the win.
“I had a bit of a disappointing spring, but you can only control what you can control. The team has really been coming together more and more, and coming into the Vuelta I was going to do anything it took to get this win. The team believed in me, from staff to riders, and I totally took that to heart. To have a win in the Vuelta is just another great thing to put on the resumé,” Jackson finished.
More to come …
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