Dutch sprinter stays away as crashes disrupt the peloton
Martine Bras (Mixteam Merida/Gauss) won the second stage of the Holland Ladies Tour in Leende, south of Eindhoven, after a three-rider break managed to hold off the peloton. As the outstanding sprinter of the three riders, the Dutchwoman beat Valentina Bastianelli (Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo-Ghezzi) and Janneke Ensing (Dolmans Landscaping) at the end of the 107km stage.
The first group of the fractured peloton was led in by Shelley Olds (United States), 32 seconds later.
Bras attacked after 55km and, once she had a decent gap Ensing managed to bridge across. As the two riders entered the two 7.6km finishing straights, Bastianelli attacked the peloton and made it up to them.
A series of crashes in the peloton disrupted the chase of the three riders and Bras applied her superior sprint to take the stage. With the gap to the peloton, and the time bonuses on the line, Bras take the leader’s orange jersey from yesterday’s stage winner Ina Teutenberg (HTC-Columbia).
Result stage 2
1. Martine Bras (Ned) Mixteam Merida/Gauss
2. Valentina Bastianelli (Ita) Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo-Ghezzi
3. Janneke Ensing (Ned) Dolmans Landscaping Wielerteam @ 4s
4. Shelley Olds (USA) United States National Team @ 32s
5. Chloe Hosking (Aus) HTC-Columbia @ 34s
6. Sara Mustonen (Swe) Hitec Products UCK
7. Emma Johansson (Swe) RedSun Cycling Team
8. Sarah Düster (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam
9. Joelle Numainville (Can) Canadian National Team
10. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Lotto Ladies Team
Standings after stage 2
1. Martine Bras (Ned) Mixteam Merida/Gauss
2. Valentina Bastianelli (Ita) Top Girls-Fassa Bortolo-Ghezzi @ 7s
3. Janneke Ensing (Ned) Dolmans Landscaping Wielerteam @ 13s
4. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Columbia @ 40s
5. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit @ 44s