OVO Energy Women’s Tour – Stage 5: London – 11 June 2017. The best female cyclists in the World hit the UK for 5 days / 5 stages in what must be the Flagship event of The UCI Women’s World Tour. Pretty Awesome.
The OVO Energy Women’s Tour is a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour and organised and promoted by SweetSpot, the company behind the current organisation of the men’s Tour of Britain since 2004.
Photos by Me – Map from The Women’s Tour Race Manual
“At the National Launch of the Tour of Britain in March 2013 SweetSpot first announced their intentions to create a standalone stage race for the world’s top female cyclists, in Britain – the first event of its kind. Then at the final stage of the 2013 Tour of Britain in central London a women’s race was held, won by Hannah Barnes, previewing moves that the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana would announce some months later”
(ASO/Tour de France have just extended La Course, the women’s Tour de France race, to 2 days for 2017 after adding a Time Trial in Marseille in addition to the mountain stage on Col du Izoard)
The Stage 5 route around The West End
The sign on and some of the teams
Team WM3 including Anouska Koster, Dutch National Champion (second from left) and the race leader going into stage 5 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (second from right)
Team Lares – including Portuguese National Champion Daniela Ries
Australian outfit Orica Scott – Sarah Roy (centre) won stage 4
Three from Wiggle High5: Emilia Fahlin, Jolien D’hoore (holder of the Sprint jersey after 4 stages and winner of Stage 5) and Claudia Lichtenberg
Boels-Dolmans – Anna van der Breggen (wearing the UCI Women’s World Tour Leader Jersey after Stage 4) and Chantal Blaak; and (below) Amy Pieters and Lizzy D
Alison Jackson and Silvia Valsecchi of BePink Cogeas
HITEC – including Vita Heine – Norwegian National Road Champion (right)
Velo-Concept
Pre-Race
Christina Siggaard (above)
Emilia Fahlin
Alice Barnes – Drops (centre) and Hannah Payton (below)
Lizzy Diegnan
Giorgia Bronzini – Wiggle High5
Emilie Moberg
The Women’s Tour – Stage 5 – The Race – 62km
The final run in to the sprint for the finish line
Podium and Final Standings
Stage 5 Winner: Jolien d’Hoore (BEL) of Wiggle High5
General Classification Final Standings:
Tour Winner (centre) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) of team WM3, Second (left) Christine Majerus (LUX) of Boels and Third, Hannah Barnes (GBR) of Canyon-Sram
Katarzyna Niewiadoma also moves into the UCI Women’s Tour leader jersey, taking it from Anna van der Breegan
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN) of Cervelo, leading the Women’s WorldTour youth classification
Team Sunweb won best team, Audrey Cordon won Queen of The Mountains and Christine Majerus won the Sprints and Points jersey (as well as coming second overall)
K James – 12 June 2017 – The Women’s Tour London
