Elisa Balsamo takes her first win in the rainbow bands
Elisa Balsamo takes the final stage as Demi Vollering confirms overall victory at the Women's Tour.
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New world champion Elisa Balsamo (Valcar Travel & Service) won the bunch sprint on the final stage of the Women’s Tour, as Demi Vollering (SD Worx) sealed overall victory. Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) fell just short of making it three consecutive stage wins with second in Felixstowe, and Chloe Hosking (Trek-Segafredo) crossed the line third.
The peloton stayed together between Haverhill and the first intermediate sprint in Long Melford – won by Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) – 38 km into the race. Several kilometres further down the road, Alé BTC Ljubljana’s Eugenia Bujak launched from the peloton after the first few attackers were caught, and the Slovenian national champion was soon joined by four others.
The quintet gained a buffer of over three minutes before the sprint teams started chipping away at the gap. It was all back together with 13 km to go, and though attacks continued to fly on the winding roads of the last 10 km, the expected sprint finale beckoned.
Balsamo came out on top at the end of the long finishing straight, taking her first victory in the rainbow bands. Vollering finished safely to maintain her GC margin of over a minute.
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