OVO Energy Women's Tour: Lizzie Deignan wins stage 5
14 June 2019 12:55
Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) has won the OVO Energy Women's Tour queen's stage from a three-rider group. Attacking on the hardest climb of the day with 20km to go, Deignan, Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) succeeded in holding off what remained of the peloton, and Deignan beat Niewiadoma in the sprint for victory. With the bonus seconds on offer at the finish, Deignan also took the green jersey, holding a one-second lead over Niewiadoma ahead of the final stage 6. Stage 5 through Mid Wales was the hardest-ever stage in six editions of the race. The 140 kilometres from Llandrindod Wells to the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells contained 2,206 metres of elevation gain, including the two first-category of Gorddwr Bank and Epynt as well as countless unclassified climbs. A breakaway of 10 riders formed early in the race. Leah Kirchmann (Team Sunweb), Georgia Williams (Mitchelton-Scott), Karol-Ann Canuel (Boels-Dolmans), Victorie Guilman (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo), Janneke Ensing, Kathrin Hammes (both WNT-Rotor), Alicia Gonzalez, Sheyla Gutierrez (both Movistar Team), and Lisa Klein (Canyon-SRAM) never got much more than 30 seconds ahead of the peloton, though, and they were reeled in with 106km to go.ADVERTISEMENT After the first intermediate sprint in Beguildy, the road slowly started to rise towards Gorddwr Bank. Amalie Dideriksen (Boels-Dolmans), Lauren Kitchen (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Asja Paladin (Valcar Cylance), Erica Magnaldi (WNT-Rotor), and Aude Biannic (Movistar Team) attacked to form the next breakaway, though Kitchen lost contact on the climb. Magnaldi led the group over the QOM sprint 2:25 ahead of the peloton, and the time gap grew further to 4:15 at the intermediate sprint in St. Harmon with 56km to go. Paladin had been dropped from the break on the unclassified climb before St. Harmon. The remaining three escapees were still 3:40 ahead at the 40km mark, putting Magnaldi, 53 seconds behind in GC before the stage, in the virtual race lead. But when Team Sunweb, Canyon-SRAM and WNT-Rotor took up the chase in the peloton, the gap dwindled quickly.
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