RideLondon Classique: Defending champion Wiebes sprints to stage one victory
- Published
Lorena Wiebes won the one-day race in 2019 after Kirsten Wild was disqualified
RideLondon 2022 |
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Venue: London and Essex Dates: 27-29 May |
Coverage: Highlights on Friday and Saturday on BBC iPlayer and Red Button. Live on Sunday on BBC Two, BBC iplayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app |
Defending champion Lorena Wiebes held off Elisa Balsamo to win the opening stage of the RideLondon Classique in a sprint finish in Maldon.
The Dutch rider finished over a bike length clear of Italian world champion Balsamo with Denmark's Emma Norsgaard in third.
The event, which Wiebes won as a one-day race in 2019, has had a two-year break because of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The 2022 edition is the first to be held as a three-day stage race.
Britain's Anna Henderson had enlivened the stage with a solo breakaway after the intermediate sprint but was caught in the final 400m.
She eventually finished 27th, with Alice Barnes rolling over the finish line as the highest-placed Briton in 11th, four seconds behind Wiebes.