There was a little surprise at the start of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024 in the Netherlands. Victory in the individual time trial on stage 1 went to Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM Racing). The 20-year-old Brit won by seven seconds ahead of Lieke Nooijen (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek). It was also the first success at World Tour level for the 2022 junior time trial world champion.
Simac Ladies Tour 2024 - Results of the 1st stage
Stage 1 (ITT): Gennep - Gennep
Simac Ladies Tour 2024: Stage 1 (ITT), Gennep - Gennep
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 00:12:40 |
| 2 | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | +00:00:07 |
| 3 | Lidl - Trek | +00:00:08 |
| 4 | Team SD Worx - Protime | +00:00:11 |
| 5 | Liv AlUla Jayco | +00:00:16 |
| 6 | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | +00:00:24 |
I surprised myself. I came here just to have fun and see what I could do today. That was enough to win the stage - I'm very happy - Zoe Bäckstedt
Bäckstedt put well-known competitors in their place. For example, the road world champion and European time trial champion Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime) only finished fourth. Giro winner Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) finished eleventh, Bäckstedt's team-mate Chloe Dygert tenth.
Franziska Koch best German on stage 1 of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024
Franziska Koch (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), the best German, finished one place ahead of the US American Dygert. The 24-year-old finished 30 seconds behind Bäckstedt.
The second stage of the Simac Ladies Tour 2024 continues on Wednesday. The 154.8 kilometres between Coevorden and Assen await - a bunch sprint is likely. The tour, which is part of the Women's World Tour, runs until next Sunday, when it ends with stage 6 after a total of 720 kilometres.
