Having taken the Aggressive Rider jersey in stages one and two, the riders of Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling spent a quieter day in the peloton in yesterday’s third stage of the Thüringen-Rundfahrt in the town of Schleiz, eastern Germany. The race finished in another bunch sprint, which was won by Annemiek van Vleuten (Rabobank-Liv/Giant), ahead of yellow jersey Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) and Valentina Scandolara (MCipollini-Giordana)
Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s newly crowned British time trial champion Joanna Rowsell was part of the very first attempted break of the day, as she managed to get a few seconds clear with Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini-Giordana). The successful break came from Austrian champion Andrea Graus (Bigla), however, who managed to get more than seven minutes clear before being pulled back in time for the finish.
“The plan was for Jo to be more active early on because we were hoping to put Orica-AIS under pressure and then we could do something,” explained Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling directeur sportif Simon Cope. “But it didn’t really come to anything.
“I think it was a hard day, a very hard day, but not much happened really,’ Cope added. “Graus went up the road early, after about 40km, and got seven minutes, and then Orica-AIS just rode tempo, which eventually brought her back.”
Despite the toughness of the stage, a day in the peloton will hopefully be good for the riders of Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling, ahead of today’s 21km time trial. New Zealand champion Linda Villumsen will be among the favourites for the stage, with former German champion Charlotte Becker, and British champion Rowsell also hoping to do well.
“Hopefully Linda can do something tomorrow,” said Cope. “We’ll see. Ellen van Dijk [Specialized-lululemon] will be the biggest favourite, but Linda should certainly get in the top three.”
