Marianne Vos (CCC Liv) sprinted to victory in the second stage of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour at the Gravesend Cyclopark in Kent, to take the overall lead of the race following day two.

Vos took the win ahead of Lizzie Deignan (Trek Segafredo) and Sarah Roy (Mitchelton Scott) at the end of the 25 lap race, run off in hot and sunny conditions, despite the initial weather forecast.

The win, her fifth stage win in the OVO Energy Women’s Tour, but first since the 2016 Tour, makes her the most successful rider in the race history.

The CCC Liv rider survived a mid-race puncture and bike change to move into a nine second lead in the race ahead of Lizzie Deignan, with Amy Pieters (Boels Dolmans) also on the same time.  Having battled for numerous victories over the past decade, Vos believes that Deignan is one of the main threats to her overall lead.

Deignan takes over the HSBC UK British Cycling Best British Rider jersey as the leading home contender while defending champion Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) keeps the lead in the Eisberg Sprints jersey.

With a flat day at the Cyclopark, Christine Majerus (Boels Dolmans) retained the SKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey before the serious climbs of the 2019 race begin in the Chilterns on Stage Three from Henley-on-Thames to Blenheim Palace.

The Oxfordshire stage begins at 10:30 and passes through Wallingford, Didcot, Wantage and Charlbury, covering 145.1 kilometres / 90.2 miles with an expected finish of around 14:35 in front of the world famous Blenheim Palace.

Highlights of Stage Two will be shown on ITV4 at 20:00 on Tuesday 11 June with a repeat at 06:25 on Wednesday 12 June on the same channel.  Programmes will be available on demand via the ITV Hub catch up service and via Eurosport in the UK and around the world.

All images ©CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Belgian rider Jolien D’hoore sprinted to victory on the opening day of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour in Suffolk for the second year running, leading a Boels Dolmans Cycling Team one-two across the line after a testing day in gruelling conditions.

D’hoore, winner in Southwold 12 month ago, led home Dutch team-mate Amy Pieters in Stowmarket to take the first OVO Energy green jersey of this year’s race.

The pair were at the head of the peloton that chased down British rider Abby-Mae Parkinson (Drops) who held a one and a half minute lead as the race passed through Stowmarket for the first time, with WNT ROTOR’S Lisa Brennauer taking third.

Parkinson’s reward for her efforts that brought the finish crowds in Stowmarket to life on a rain soaked stage was the first Wahooligan Combativity Award of the week.  The Drops rider crossed the finish line 67^th, while team-mate Ellie Dickinson was the leading British rider on the stage, finishing 12^th.  

Having now taken three of her four stage wins in the OVO Energy Women’s Tour in the East of England, the Belgian continued, “I think I like Suffolk now. It’s really nice and also last year was the first stage so there’s the advantage of having all the jerseys now, so I really like it and today a bunch sprint was expected and I am happy it was this way.”

In addition to the race lead, D’hoore also takes the initial lead in the Breast Cancer Care Points Jersey, while Boels Dolmans team-mate Christine Majerus leads the SKODA Queen of the Mountains Jersey.

Defending champion Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) began her campaign by taking the Eisberg Sprints jersey on day one and with it six seconds of time bonuses.

Once more the OVO Energy Women’s Tour will offer prize money parity with the men’s Tour of Britain, thanks to award winning independent energy supplier OVO Energy, the title sponsors for a third edition of the race.

Highlights of Stage One will be shown on ITV4 at 20:00 on Monday 10 June with a repeat at 06:25 on Tuesday 11 June on the same channel.  Programmes will be available on demand via the ITV Hub catch up service and via Eurosport in the UK and around the world.

Cyclopark will make OVO Energy Women’s Tour history this June as it hosts the race’s first-ever Kent stage.

Outlining the race’s support for existing cycle infrastructure in Great Britain, the world’s best riders will tackle a 62.5-kilometre (25-lap) kermesse around the Gravesend circuit on Tuesday 11 June – day two of the 2019 race.

This stage will see Kent play host to its biggest international sporting event since the 2007 Tour de France Grand Depart, which was delivered in part by SweetSpot Group,

All images ©CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk