Ellen Van Dijk wins second stage as Marianne Vos wraps up overall lead in Profile Ladies Tour
HTC Highroad Women team’s Ellen Van Dijk powered to take second stage in her home country’s Profile ladies tour 2011 on Wednesday, September 7. Marianne Vos maintained her overall leader’s jersey.
The race started and finished in Gemert. The 24-year-old Dutch professional racing cyclist took a total of 27 minutes and 31 seconds to cover the distance of 20.5 kilometres time trial.
Megan Guarnier (TIBCO-To the Top), Lisa Brennauer (Hitec Products UCK) and Ina Yoko Teutenberg (HTC Highroad Women) were in seventh, eighth and ninth place respectively.
After winning the stage, Van Dijk told the media, "The GC isn't much of an option, but it wasn't a priority for us this year, we plan to go after a few more stage wins if we can, but our main goal is to prepare for Worlds."
In the opening stage Van Dijk suffered an untimely mechanical problem and she was ten minutes down to Vos in the overall standing. But she showed a good effort and took the stage victory.
In the final kilometres, Vos tried her best to catch Van Dijk but failed to hold her pace and grabbed runner-up spot with 11 seconds down to Dijk. Annemiek Van Vleuten of Nederland Bloeit was in third place with the difference of 26 seconds ahead of Emma
Johansson (Hitec Products UCK) and Linda Villumsen (AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team).
HTC Highroad directeur sportif Jens Zemke said, "It was a very technical start for the first four kilometers, and then it straightened out for the circuit, I could tell immediately that Ellen had power in her legs and was riding for the win.”
Previously, Van Dijk also secured UCI track cycling World Cup Classics in 2008 and 2009. She also took second stage of Tour de l’Aude Cycliste in 2008.
Nederland Bloeit team’s Marianne Vos took the overall lead with a timing of 3 hours, 15 minutes and 38 seconds while Johansson was in second place with 30 seconds behind Vos.
Ina Yoko Teutenberg of HTC Highroad Women finished third with the difference of 58 seconds ahead of Kirsten Wild.
The next stage will start in Breda as all the riders will cover the distance of 115.2 kilometres.
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