SD Worx-Protime wins with Guarischi, but Germany’s Koch takes the lead in Simac Ladies Tour

On Thursday, the third stage was won by Lorena Wiebes. In a classic echelon stage, she proved the strongest in a sprint among a select group. Zoe Bäckstedt was alert and joined in, holding just enough of a lead to stay ahead of Lotte Kopecky in the general classification. The fourth stage was held in and around Ede, featuring several sharp climbs on a nearly forty-kilometer circuit that was covered three times.

There was no room for an early breakaway. Perhaps the aftermath of the echelon-filled stage the day before left the riders reluctant to ride ahead of the peloton for an entire day. The first attack came about seventy kilometers from the finish. Teniel Campbell (Liv AlUla Jayco) created a gap and was joined by Julia Borgström (AG Insurance - Soudal Team). The two rode ahead of the peloton for a while, but they weren’t given much space. Behind them, things remained unsettled: Visma | Lease a Bike's Riejanne Markus attempted to break away, but the Dutch champion was not given any room.

With around fifty kilometers to go, a split occurred in the peloton. Twelve riders broke away, including Eva van Agt (Visma | Lease a Bike), Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Ilse Pluimers (AG Insurance - Soudal Team), Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) and Franziska Koch (Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL). This was a strong group, with Koch, the German champion, sitting 31 seconds behind leader Bäckstedt and posing the biggest threat. They joined up with the two leaders, forming a group of fourteen that quickly extended their lead. With twenty kilometers remaining, they were a minute and a half ahead of the peloton.

SD Worx-Protime took charge of the chase in the peloton, led by world champion Lotte Kopecky, who tried to close the gap. However, they weren’t fast enough. The Belgian seemed unable to counter the fourteen leaders alone, who were working together well. For some, the breakaway was about the general classification, while others sought the stage victory, keeping the pace high. The peloton did not manage to catch up, and the winner was among the leaders. In the sprint, Italy’s Guarischi emerged as the fastest, narrowly beating Wollaston (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) in a photo finish. Koch finished fourth and maintained enough of a gap over the peloton to take the overall lead, though only by a slim margin.