Ruth Edwards rode as part of a 60km breakaway to score second place and the combativity prize on the opening day of the Thüringen Ladies Tour in Germany.
“Cycling is a brutal sport,” Edwards said afterward. “When I came away from Europe in the spring, it didn’t end on a high so this feels special to come back and show everybody that I’m strong and I can do it.”
Attacking with eventual winner Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team), the 30-year-old dominated the stage to take her third podium of the year in the 118.5km route around Jena.
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- Launching the early move.
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- A two-up to the finish line.
“I put myself up there on the first QOM,” she said of her move. “‘Get up there Winder’, I said in my head [yes, she used her maiden name] and see how you feel. I took third over the top and strung it up and I pushed again and suddenly I was alone until Vanpachtenbeke bridged.”
The duo cooperated well, building to a high of four minutes on the road. Behind, a level crossing added insult to injury for a chase that had already seen the top two places go up the road. With more rolling stages to come and a penultimate daytime trial, the gap makes Edwards one of the firm favorites overall.
“I used a lot of matches today but I’m feeling strong and fit so if I can recover well then there’s no reason not to try and set the bar pretty high and come back with the win at the end of the week,” Edwards said.
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- The team in Germany.
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- Edwards crosses the line second.
Recovery is the key in a GC battle and luckily Edwards has experience, staff, and partners like Thorne to count on.
“Recovery is about eating enough,” she explains. “It can be difficult to eat the right amount of calories with the job that we do when it’s back-to-back. So, as I get back to the camper, the soigneurs have my Thorne recovery drink ready to go and I’ll go back and have a lovely massage from Hannelore, a tasty dinner focusing on carbohydrates then, and hopefully some good sleep.”
The Thüringen Ladies Tour continues with another rolling stage tomorrow.
Thüringen Ladies Tour stage one results
1 VANPACHTENBEKE Margot – VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team 14” 3:05:11
2 EDWARDS Ruth – Human Powered Health 12” 0:02
3 RIEDMANN Linda – Germany 4” 2:34
4 BREDEWOLD Mischa – Team SD Worx – Protime ”
5 LACH Marta – CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 2” ”
6 COLES-LYSTER Maggie – Roland ”
7 AHTOSALO Anniina – Uno-X Mobility ”
8 PERKINS Flora – Fenix-Deceuninck ”
9 VAN ROOIJEN Sofie – VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team ”
10 VENTURELLI Federica – UAE Team ADQ ”
Thüringen Ladies Tour general classification after stage one
1 VANPACHTENBEKE Margot – VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team 3:04:57
2 EDWARDS Ruth – Human Powered Health 0:04
3 RIEDMANN Linda – Germany 2:44
4 LACH Marta – CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team 2:46
5 BREDEWOLD Mischa – Team SD Worx – Protime 2:48
6 COLES-LYSTER Maggie – Roland ”
7 AHTOSALO Anniina – Uno-X Mobility ”
8 PERKINS Flora – Fenix-Deceuninck ”
9 VAN ROOIJEN Sofie – VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team ”
10 VENTURELLI Federica – UAE Team ADQ ”
Photos: GettySport
