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Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s Jolien D’hoore bounced back from her crash on the opening day to win the second stage of the Tour of Chongming Island in Xin Cheng Park. With bandages protecting her badly grazed forearms, the former Belgian Champion outpaced stage one winner Kirsten Wild (Cylance) in a close sprint finish, with Anna Stricker (BTC City Ljubljana) leading the rest over for third. 
“We had a plan before the race: we wanted to see how I would be after my crash,” D’hoore explained afterwards. “At the first intermediate sprint I got third, and I said to the girls that I was really okay. The team really helped me, and I won the second intermediate sprint, and they decided to do a full lead out for me, and we were all together in the last 5km. “I’m really proud of the girls. They were really amazing.” 
After D’hoore’s stage one crash, where she suffered abrasions on her legs and arms, as well as hitting her head, there was some worry that the Belgian may have fractured her wrist. Thankfully, however, although she was certainly feeling the effects of having hit the tarmac 24-hours before, D’hoore’s injuries were not enough to prevent her from taking the victory. “My wrist is really swollen, and still looks blue now - purple - but it’s not broken,” she said. “I can move it, so yeah. I have some road rash, and I smashed my head really hard, but I’m okay. All good to race.” Stage victory, as well as bonus seconds earned in the two intermediate sprints, mean that D’hoore takes the race leader’s yellow jersey with a one-second lead over Wild. With one stage remaining, the Belgian hopes to hold on to take the race overall, as well as aiming for a second victory in stage three. 
“We hope to defend the leader’s jersey now as a team,” D’hoore said. “I’m feeling pretty good, and fast in the sprint, so if everything goes to plan we should be okay. “You never know, but I’m backed up by a really great and strong team, so I have full trust in them.” D’hoore was not the only Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling rider on the podium after stage two. Former two-time junior World Champion Lucy Garner took maximum mountains points over the Yangtze River Bridge as the race crossed from the city of Shanghai, and was awarded the Polka-Dot jersey. 
The irony of one of Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s fastest sprinters leading a climbers’ competition is not lost on the Belgian rider. “It was a goal to get another jersey, so Lucy went for the mountains points!” D’hoore laughed. “It suits her really well, and I’m so proud of her for getting it. It looks good!” Result Photo Credit: Anton Vos |
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