Race historical past repeated itself on stage 3 of the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia Ladies on Friday, as for a second time in 48 hours, Liv AlUla Jayco scooped all three podium placings, with Ella Wyllie claiming the win.
Some 45 kilometres from the road, Silke Smulders, race chief Mavi García and Wyllie, the identical Liv AIUIa Jayco trio that captured the highest three spots on stage 1, broke away with final yr’s winner Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility).
After rapidly shedding Aalerud, the trio continued to carry a minute’s benefit all the best way to the coastal city of Velez Malaga.
With Smulders successful stage 1 on Wednesday and Garcia taking the lead and stage 2 on Thursday, it was virtually a foregone conclusion that Wyllie could be first throughout the road of the trio of Liv AIUIa Jayco riders on stage 3.
The way it unfolded
Nearly as quickly as the beginning flag dropped at Torre del Mar, the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia Ladies peloton was challenged by the cat. 2 Alto Mirador de Axarquía and two riders rapidly moved forward: Krista Doebel-Hickok (Human Powered Well being) and Francesca Pelligrini (UAE Improvement Group), with a 3rd, Cristina Tonetti (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi) shut behind.
Tonetti then took over with Pelligrini on the entrance within the hilly terrain that dominated the primary two-thirds of the stage, however with 50 kilometres of a brief however relentlessly punchy stage left to go, the complete peloton regrouped.
On the second labeled climb that instantly adopted, the Alto del Zurron (cat. 3), the ultra-powerful break of the day briefly emerged. Not solely race chief García but in addition final yr’s winner Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility) and García’s teammates, Silke Smulders and Ella Wyllie, operating second and third total on GC, respectively, took off.
Behind them, an eight-rider group tried to kind a counterattack, however as an alternative, the highest three names from Liv AIUIa Jayco dropped Aalerud as soon as once more and solid clear for what was set to be a re-run of stage 1.
The trio established a lead of 57 seconds on the pack and maintained it with out issues on the lengthy descent down from the Sierra de Almijara mountain vary and again to the coast. A 15-rider chase group emerged as they hit the flat, however it appeared there was treasured little they might do to cut back a spot now standing at over a minute.
All that was left to be determined was who would take the win, and after Smulders and Garcíá’s respective triumphs, it felt solely like poetic justice that their Australian teammate would get the third win out of three for Liv AIUIa Jayco. Garcíá crossed the road behind, and Smulders then accomplished the rostrum, with all three additional stretching their total lead by round a minute on the remainder of the sector.
General, with simply at some point remaining, a hilly 100.2 kilometre run from Alhaurin de la Torre to Pizarra, it stays to be seen if something can escape Liv AIUIa Jayco’s rock-solid domination of the race. However on present proof, it appears not possible.
Outcomes
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