Liv Racing TeqFind had a good start in the RideLondon Classique. In the opening stage Thalita de Jong was in the right group and finished in the top-10 of the race.
The peloton took a calm start of the RideLondon Classique. Some early breakaway attempts were neutralized quickly by the sprinter teams. A duo riders managed to take a three minute lead, but with 50 kilometres to go all was back together again. That didn`t last long however. After a flurry of attacks a group of almost 20 riders took off. Thalita de Jong and Katia Ragusa represented Liv Racing TeqFind in that group.
Inside the final 20 kilometres the group took a nice advantage on the peloton. Due to the strong wind the first group split. Ragusa was one of the riders who dropped out of the group and also De Jong was dropped at a certain point. Together with two riders of Canyon/SRAM Ragusa and De Jong tried to get back into the front. After a mechanical of Ragusa her chances were over, but the other three riders managed to return in the first group.
“We were riding very strong as a team. We wanted to attack after the second mountain sprint and all riders were committed to get into the lead group. Eventually we drove away with 20 riders, including Katia and me. It was too bad Katia had a mechanical, otherwise we were with two riders in the decisive group. In the final kilometres I had to take a breath and didn`t have the legs anymore to attack. On the final straight to the finish I tried to sprint, but my legs were really empty after a hard race. I am happy with my 9th place and the way I – and the team – raced. For me it was a time ago that I was riding a finale, so it gives confidence to be there again. It feels as a reward for all the hard work I`ve done the last weeks”, De Jong commented after the race.