Women's Tour 2022 cycling starts in Essex and Suffolk
- Published
Clara Copponi stays ahead of Italy's Sofia Bertizzolo in the final sprint in front of the cathedral in Bury St Edmunds
The Women's Tour 2022 cycle race has got under way as it navigated its way through Essex and Suffolk for its opening stage.
Dozens of the world's top female riders set off from Colchester's Northern Gateway Sports Park.
They finished on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds via Brantham, Hadleigh, Needham Market and Stowmarket.
The opening 142.1km stage was the first of six across the country and it was won by French rider Clara Copponi.
The stage had to be stopped temporarily at about 14:20 BST, with about 35km to go, to allow the medical services to attend an incident ahead of the race route, external.
The opening stage of the Women's Tour 2022 started at Colchester's Northern Gateway Sports Park, just across the A12 from Colchester United's stadium
The first sprint stage was in Holbrook in Suffolk with a climb past the village's church as they headed towards the Orwell Estuary
The cyclists completed a downhill stretch through Freston in Suffolk, and headed along the River Orwell estuary at Wherstead...
...before passing under the Orwell Bridge
The route then passed through Bildeston in Suffolk twice, where a Queen of the Mountain section took place on its first visit
Clara Copponi on the podium after crossing the finishing line on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds
Stage Two of this year's race takes place on Tuesday, external and starts and finishes in Harlow, taking in Great Dunmow, Chipping Ongar and Epping.
Last year, Essex hosted the penultimate stage of what is considered to be Britain's biggest and longest-running international women's cycling stage race.
The final leg was then held in Suffolk, where world champion Elisa Balsamo crossed the finish line first in Felixstowe.
The opening stage of this year's event follows the four-day bank holiday weekend in the UK to celebrate Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.
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