WM3 Pro Cycling continues to dominate the Gracia Orlová. Following a complete WM3 podium in the first stage, Anouska Koster won the second stage which ended in a sprint. DS Jeroen Blijlevens witnessed again a strong team performance.

The day started rather chaotic. Due to severe weather conditions, the route was adjusted one hour prior to the start, which meant that the first climb of the day was cancelled as well as the steep final climb. By doing so, this stage, which was considered to be the most challenging of the Gracia Orlová, turned out to be less spectacular. The distance, however, got slightly longer, namely 103 kilometres.

Control from beginning to end
The last minute changes to the itinerary did not imbalance the WM3 Pro Cycling riders. They controlled the race from beginning to end. “We gave our riders one mandate which was to stay up front, especially to keep warm in the cold and the rain, but also to keep the team’s strong position in the overall ranking”, says DS Jeroen Blijlevens.

The WM3 Pro Cycling riders stayed alert. Anouska collected bonus points. When Olga Shekel took off, the team remained in a controlling position. The Ukrainian was able to stay in the lead for many kilometres, but got eventually caught.

The first decisive move was on an arduous climb, 69 kilometres into the race. Many riders were dropped from the peloton as several riders attacked. A group of 35 women got away after the climb. “All 5 WM3 riders were in that group. There were several attempts to break away in the final, but we were able to counter all of them”, says Jeroen Blijlevens.

No changes in the overall ranking
Anouska was the fastest in the spring and took the podium just like she did on Thursday. Riejanne Markus keeps the leader’s jersey and is being followed in the overall ranking by Anouska and Moniek Tenniglo. On Saturday, the riders await a time trial and a short stage.