Clara Copponi wins stage one of the Women’s Tour in Bury St Edmunds
- Published
Clara Copponi won the first stage of the 2022 Women's Tour in three hours 40 minutes 15 seconds for her first road-racing victory
French cyclist Clara Copponi won the opening stage of the Women's Tour 2022 in Bury St Edmunds.
The FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope rider beat Italy's Sofia Bertizzolo and Elena Cecchini in a bunch sprint, while Britain's Alice Barnes finished fifth.
Multiple riders, including pre-stage favourite Lorena Wiebes of Team DSM, crashed in the final corner with just 300 metres to go.
It is the first road-racing victory of Copponi's career.
The 23-year-old finished the 142.1km-route from Colchester to Bury St Edmunds in three hours 40 minutes 15 seconds.
The race was stopped with 35km left to allow emergency services to attend a road accident on the race course ahead of the peloton.
Great Britain's lone leader Danielle Shrosbree, who had a one-minute 10-second advantage before the race was paused, was reeled in with 15km remaining.
Points won in sprint stages during the race saw Cecchini drop to fourth and Barnes to ninth in the overall standings, while the Netherlands' Maike van der Duin move up to third in the general classification after winning the sprint jersey.
The Women's Tour is the UK's leading international women's stage race and is one of 10 stage races on the UCI Women's WorldTour calendar.
General classification after stage one:
1. Clara Copponi (Fra/FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) 3hrs 40 minutes 05 seconds
2. Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita/UAE Team ADQ) +4secs
3. Maike van der Duin (Ned/ Le Col-Wahoo) +4secs
4. Elena Cecchini (Ita/ Team SD Worx) +6secs
5. Alison Jackson (Can/Liv Racing Xstra) +7secs
6. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita/Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling) +8secs
7. Laura Tomasi (Ita/UAE Team ADQ) +9secs
8. Arianna Fidanza (Ita/ Team BikeExchange-Jayco) +10secs
9. Alice Barnes (GB/Canyon//SRAM Racing) +10secs
10. Eugenie Duval (Fra/FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) +10secs
