Wiebes completes hat trick, but Kopecky's nasty crash disrupts fifth stage of Simac Ladies Tour

After three days in the leader's jersey, British rider Zoe Bäckstedt was dethroned by German champion Franziska Koch. The Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL rider was part of a group of fourteen riders who battled for the win: SD Worx-Protime sprinter Barbara Guarischi narrowly won the sprint in Ede in the Netherlands. Saturday’s stage was a flat route around Doetinchem, which seemed set for another mass sprint.

Yesterday, Audrey De Keersmaeker (Lotto Dstny Ladies) attempted to bridge to the group that ultimately took the win, but she found herself in no-man's land. This time, she was proactive, going on a solo adventure. Halfway through the race, the only uphill sections of the course appeared. At that point, riders like Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv Jayco AlUla) and Anna Henderson (Visma | Lease a Bike) attempted to create a gap, but were unsuccessful. It foreshadowed a restless phase, with many riders trying to seize their chance.

No one seemed able to break away: the peloton began to reel in the Belgian soloist bit by bit. However, there was no real organization. The small peloton (with sixty riders still in the race) allowed a handful of riders to keep attacking. Visma | Lease a Bike, in particular, was active, trying to avoid a bunch sprint. Their plan ultimately didn’t succeed. With fifteen kilometers to go, De Keersmaeker was caught, and it seemed we were heading for that bunch sprint after all. But attacks kept coming. SD Worx-Protime faced a tough challenge, but each time managed to neutralize it.

With five kilometers to go, the attacks stopped. Wiebes’ team took the lead, setting a high pace, but Team dsm-firmenich PostNL also had a strong lead-out for Charlotte Kool. In the final kilometer, a crash suddenly occurred, with Kopecky being the main victim, but Kool was also involved. From the reduced group, Wiebes easily secured her third victory, finishing ahead of Elisa Balsamo and Nienke Veenhoven.