The penultimate stage race of the WorldTour season started out on the highest of highs for Canyon-SRAM and their youngster Zoe Backstedt.
The 20-year-old, who had been sidelined for three months earlier this season due to illness, smashed the opening 10.1 km time trial to take the lead in the race on Tuesday. Unfortunately, by Wednesday’s sprint finish in Assen, Backstedt was the only Canyon-SRAM rider left in the race.
Thursday’s stage calls for rain and wind, presented a unique challenge for Backstedt and her dad Magnus driving the Canyon-SRAM car as Sports Director: maintaining the leader’s jersey, with only a seven-second lead in the overall.
The German team started the race already on the back foot, with only five riders lining up. The maximum team size for the Simac Ladies Tour is seven. On the morning of the second stage three riders were non-starters, with Maike van der Duin and Soraya Paladin out due to illness.
The third non-starter Chloe Dygert, the recent silver medalist in the World Championship road race, fractured her nose running into a door before the time trial on Tuesday. She raced the opening time trial, teams are required to start five riders, but did not take to the start of Wednesday’s stage.
That left only Alex Morrice to help Backstedt defend her lead in the race, but having one partner in crime would not last long for the British rider.
Morrice abandoned the race after being held up by a crash and struggling to regain contact with the peloton. She too was suffering from illness before the start but opted to try to push through.
Luckily for Backstedt, the second stage finished in a bunch sprint, won by Lorena Wiebes. Backstedt finished 19th and held onto her lead but she will start the third stage solo.
The third stage has all the makings of another sprint finish, but with weather on the menu, Backstedt might be kissing her lead in the overall race goodbye. The biggest threat to her jersey is road World Champion Lotte Kopecky, who sits fourth overall just 11 seconds down, but Lidl-Trek’s Ellen van Dijk is also a danger, three seconds ahead of Kopecky.
At the very least, Backstedt has some experience riding solo with her background in cyclocross. Defending the race lead is now left up to the duo of Backstedt alone on the road with her dad Magnus in the car.
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