Franziska Koch had the right instinct on stage 4 of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024, which led over 118.2 kilometres around Ede, and snuck into the breakaway group of the day, which consisted of 14 riders. Barbara Guarischi (Team SD Worx - Protime) won the sprint for the stage win ahead of Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance - Soudal Team), Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Uno-X Mobility) and Koch.
Results of the 4th stage of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024
Stage 4: Ede - Ede
Simac Ladies Tour 2024: Stage 4, Ede - Ede
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team SD Worx - Protime | 02:49:53 |
| 2 | AG Insurance - Soudal Team | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | Uno-X Mobility | +00:00:00 |
| 4 | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | +00:00:00 |
| 5 | UAE Team ADQ | +00:00:00 |
| 6 | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | +00:00:00 |
The group finished 36 seconds ahead of the peloton. Koch was only 31 seconds behind Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM Racing) before the stage, who is travelling without teammatesand thus slipped into the yellow jersey with a five-second lead over Bäckstedt.
How the 4th stage of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024 went
Victoria Teniel Campbell (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Julia Borgström (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) were the first two riders to break away on the shortest section of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024. However, the peloton behind them was not quiet. Around 50 kilometres before the finish, a large group set off in pursuit and caught up with the leading duo.
Franzsika Koch in large leading group
A total of 14 riders were in front after the merge. Franziska Koch (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) was also among them. The German was the best-placed rider in the leading group, just 31 seconds behind the yellow jersey of Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM Racing), and in the meantime was already virtually riding in the leader's jersey.
In the peloton, the SD Worx - Protime team followed suit, with Barbara Guarischi and Femke Markus in the lead group. The peloton had a maximum gap of around 1:45 minutes to the escapees.
The handicap for Koch and Co. was that only about half of the leading group went through the front. Eight kilometres before the finish, the lead over the peloton was still one minute. This didn't change much until the finish, with the group saving 36 seconds.
Guarischi wins in the sprint
Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) opened the sprint a little too early. Barbara Guarischi overtook her in the final metres. The 34-year-old Italian, who was only in the leading group as a chaperone, thus secured the third SD-Worx stage win on the fourth stage.
Meanwhile, Koch goes into the final two stages of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024 with a lead of five seconds over Bäckstedt and eight seconds over Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime).
