Liv Racing TeqFind’s squad rolled well in the team time trial (14.5 kilometres) of the Vuelta Femenina, but a top classification was out of the question. Our purple brigade clocked a time of 18’45’’04 in the opening stage of the Spanish stage race. That time was good for tenth place. Team Jumbo-Visma seized the win.
Wim Stroetinga led his team today. “We just rode solidly. Not brilliant, but certainly not bad. In hindsight, we might have done things a bit differently tactically, because some still had some energy in the tank. On the other hand: it could never have been much faster, because we finished with four riders. Your team is as strong as the weakest rider in the team time trial, you can’t always go faster.”
Teams with strong GC riders were about 30 seconds faster on the Torrevieja coast. “It may be 30 seconds, but that gap is manageable. We still have a full week of racing ahead of us, with many difficult stages in which a lot is possible. In addition, Mavi García is physically in good shape”, said Wim Stroetinga, who will now focus first on tomorrow: a flat stage (105.8 kilometres). “There we must be able to put Rachele Barbieri in contention for a good result in the sprint.”