A twilight stage in Schleusingen, Germany marked the opening of Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour. In seven laps of a 12km circuit, the pace was high from start to finish with only ever a slim chance for a breakaway to succeed. CANYON//SRAM Racing led Elena Cecchini into the final 3km, alongside a lead-out train from Sunweb. Cecchini saw an opportunity with 250m to go and took the inside through the final corner to be the first to start the uphill cobbled sprint. Stage winner Coryn Rivera (SUN) was able to take over, with Cecchini narrowly beaten for third place. “My teammates had done a great job to bring me into position. I saw the opening on the final corner and instinct told me to go for it. You never know what can happen in the corner and I’m not disappointed I took it. I could hold the lead really until the last part where Coryn came past, and then I was just pipped on the line for third. Now we look forward to another chance tomorrow already,” said Cecchini.

Facebook

Twitter