The second stage of Vuelta a Burgos finished atop a climb so naturally it was SD Worx-Protime’s Demi Vollering who walked away from the day victorious. Évita Muzic of FDJ-Suez and Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) were the two to follow the Dutch champion; they finished second and third on the stage respectively. Vollering also claimed the overall lead ahead of the third stage, eight seconds up on Muzic and 11 seconds on Swinkels.
How it happened
- The women were treated to rainy roads on the second stage, and for the first half of the race, a break struggled to form. A move of four made their way off the front of the peloton for a short time at the mid-point but they were brought back with 32 km remaining.
- As the peloton prepared for the climb to the finish, attacks momentarily left some riders behind, but the pace slowed as they approached the base of the ascent.
- The final climb was short, and FDJ-Suez took control of the pace to deter any attacks. The French team succeeded in diminishing the front group, but it was the La Vuelta winner Vollering who put in the final dig. She attacked just inside the final kilometer, with Swinkels and Muzic close behind.
- But when the finish line came into sight Muzic and Swinkels were well behind Vollering, who took her fourth win in as many weeks.
Stage Top 10
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Brief Analysis
- After missing out on a one-day win in spring, Vollering is poised to take her third stage race overall of the season, after winning both La Vuelta España Femenina and Itzulia Women. The Dutchwoman looks to be unstoppable whenever a mountain is on the menu; only Muzic has been able to come around her to nab a stage.
- Swinkels continues to impress after a strong performance at La Vuelta. The Dutch rider fought hard for the Mountains jersey in the Spanish “Grand Tour” but lost out to Vollering on the final stage. It is her first season with UAE Team ADQ; she previously rode for Visma-Lease a Bike.
- Close behind the top three were two Swiss riders, Noemi Rüegg and Elisa Chabbey. The two were 13 seconds behind the winner, but the results were notable for both riders. Rüegg and EF Education-Cannondale are taking the season by storm, and Chabbey continues to make her bid for team leader not only at Burgos but in future races as well. Chabbey is usually a super domestique for Kasia Niewiadoma, but her progress over the seasons has been something special and this year in particular she looks to be ready to take on more responsibility.
GC Top 5 After Stage 2
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What’s next?
From the Wheel Talk Newsletter:
The third stage is the only “flat” day of the race; with no categorized climbs and only a few small uncategorized pops, there is very little for the general classification riders on Saturday. Instead, it will be a day for the sprinters, or perhaps a breakaway.
Unlike at La Vuelta, there is very little chance of crosswinds impacting the “flat” stage. I say “flat” because there are still some small uncategorized climbs in the second half of the race, the longest one is still only 2 km long, 2% average with a max of 7%.
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