Visma-Lease a Bike were in control of the Classic Lorient Agglomération, almost always having one or several riders in the front group – but in the end, their sprinter Marianne Vos could not beat Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) who took her third consecutive victory in Plouay.
“We wanted to be in control of the race, to be ahead where possible. When the big group went, we were involved with two, in the final, Femke bridged across and Pauline was also in front, so that was a good situation. But it came down to a sprint of the group, and Mischa Bredewold was faster,” Vos looked back on the race in the post-race TV interview.
Seven years after her last participation, the 38-year-old returned to the Breton race that she had won in 2012 and 2013. As always, she was in contention for victory, but she came up short against Bredewold.
“It’s always an interesting finish. You come with a lot of speed, and the last bit is a little bit up. Mischa went early, she just kept more speed, more momentum, more power, so I couldn’t keep up. It’s a deserved victory,” Vos doffed her cap to Bredewold.
Finishing third, 23-year-old Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels) rounded out an all-Dutch podium, taking her first Women’s WorldTour podium spot.
“It’s always good to see fellow Dutch riders do so well, and it’s nice to be on the podium together,” said Vos, who was happy to see her compatriots going strong.
For Bredewold, beating Vos to win the race was a dream come true. At the Vuelta Femenina in May, Bredewold drew the shorter straw against Vos in all four sprints, but now the 25-year-old crossed the line first.
“She’s such an inspiration, she’s the GOAT, she’s such a legend. The sprint battle with her in the Vuelta was already something special for me, but of course I was also very motivated to beat her one time. I cannot believe that it happened, I’m super happy,” said Bredewold.
