Setmana Ciclista Volta Comunitat Valenciana: Bastianelli bosses bunch-sprint, van Vleuten gets GC
Van Vleuten gets season started the right way with successful GC defense in Spain after also winning the 'Queen Stage' on Saturday.
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Marta Bastianelli (UAE ADQ) kicked to bunch-sprint victory in the final stage of the Setmana Ciclista Volta Comunitat Valenciana as Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) protected her overnight GC lead to clinch the overall.
Bastianelli scored her second win of the season – and the second for her newly reformulated UAE ADQ team – beating Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) and Susanne Andersen (Uno-X) in downtown Valencia.
Van Vleuten finished safe in the bunch after a straightforward 118km gallop to take her second consecutive GC victory at the Setmana stage-race.
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope went two-three on the GC podium with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Marta Cavalli.
Success sealed 💪🏆🧡@AvVleuten | @SetmanaCiclista | @paulapb291 pic.twitter.com/zB4pJ8PQvf
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) February 20, 2022
Lija Laizane (Eneicat-RBH Global), Grace Brown (FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope) and Danielle Shrosbree (CAMS-Basso) got away after the first flurry of attacks of the mostly-flat stage Sunday.
Brown was last rider standing after dropping her two rivals by the summit of the sole climb of the day, the cat.2 Alto de l’Oronet. The Aussie rode strong through the final 40km, but the descent off the Oronet and fast, flat finish to the stage wasn’t in her favor.
Brown was reeled in by an Uno-X-led peloton at around 10km to go before Trek-Segafredo and Valcar Travel&Service started pulling for the sprint.
Trek-Segafredo lit things up first for world champ Balsamo, but Bastianelli charged from the melee for her winning sprint, netting the 37th win of her long successful career. The Italian veteran also won the season-opening Vuelta CV Feminas at the start of this month.
2º GC win in a row for @AvVleuten!!!
🧡 Congrats @Movistar_Team!
¡Van Vleuten gana la #VoltaCVFèmines22! pic.twitter.com/f4vOKW5z62
— SC – Volta Comunitat Valenciana Femines (@SetmanaCiclista) February 20, 2022
Van Vleuten crossed the line untroubled to wrap up GC and get the wheels turning on a season that will be centered around a push at yellow in the inaugural Tour de France Femmes.
Results will be available once stage has completed.