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Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s Jolien D’hoore has added the black and orange team's second leader’s jersey of the 2017 OVO Energy Women’s Tour in the Eisberg Sprints Classification. The former Belgian Champion will wear the distinctive, striped red jersey on the fourth stage, alongside teammate Audrey Cordon-Ragot, who has held the black Mountains Classification Jersey since stage one. 
“A jersey is always nice for the team, it’s good exposure,” D’hoore said. “We already had one with Audrey, and having an extra one if just good for the team, so I’m happy.” D’hoore had finished second and first in the two sprints of stage one, making her the joint leader in the classification. More points gained on stage three, between Atherstone and Royal Leamington Spa - with second place in Kenilworth and third in Wellesbourne - mean that she is now the outright leader. “It’s not like I’m going 100% for the jersey, it's just when I’m there and I can take some points, then I’ll take some points,” D’hoore explained. “It’s not like an obsessive goal for me; I’m just here to help the team, and be in breakaways. But when I can grab some points along the way then I will.” The 150.8km third stage was another tough ordeal for the peloton, with conditions on the rolling roads made harder by more adverse weather conditions. There were numerous crashes, one of which brought down Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s Elisa Longo Borghini, but the Italian escaped without serious injury. Once the day’s breakaway had been caught, the stage was won by former black and orange rider Chloe Hosking (Alé–Cipollini), with Giorgia Bronzini Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s taking her second fourth place of the week. 
“It’s always up and down, and quite lumpy,” D’hoore laughed. “It’s hard enough for me! I could hang on, on the climbs, but it’s day three and a lot of girls are getting tired. You can definitely feel it in your legs! But I had a pretty good day, and it’s getting better and better. “I will suffer again tomorrow, I guess, but I’m looking forward to the last stage in London.” With longer stages than previously in the 2017 OVO Women’s Tour, the extra kilometres are making the race even tougher for the peloton than usual, D’hoore thinks. “It’s like 150km, with a neutral of 10km, so it’s more like 160km today,” she said. “The last hour makes a big difference for everybody. We’re not used to it. It’s quite hard, and the race itself is quite hard, so that’s what makes it a tough stage race for everybody, I guess. “But so far we did really well with the team, and now we’re just chasing a stage victory,” D’hoore added. 
Result Photo Credit: Anton Vos |
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