UAE Development Team celebrated its first victory with British rider Abigail Miller, who sprinted to success at La Classique Morbihan in France after a strong collective performance. Completing an excellent day for the team was Federica Venturelli, who finished fourth in her return to racing after a long period away from competition.
The 111-kilometre race, starting in Quiberon and finishing in Pluvigner, featured a demanding and technical course. UAE Development Team raced with maturity throughout the day, controlling the key phases of the race while also trying to make the race selective with several attacking moves.
After a relatively calm opening section, the race came alive on the rolling roads in the middle part of the course, where multiple attacks attempted to split the peloton but were successfully neutralized. UAE Development Team remained in control, protecting both Miller and Venturelli ahead of the finale.
The race was ultimately decided in a sprint finish. After Venturelli’s move in the closing stages, Miller reacted quickly and showed great composure to seize her opportunity, launching her sprint to take victory ahead of Eva Anguela (Cantabria Deporte – Rio Miera) and Valentine Fortin (Cofidis Women Team).
For 18-year-old Miller, born in 2007, it marks her first win with the team. Abigail Miller said:
“The race stayed together for the first 45km, then there were some rolling sections where a lot of attacks happened, but the girls did a great job controlling everything while Federica and I stayed protected. The bunch stayed together until entering the final circuit. We managed to stay at the front and hold our position well. Milana Ushakova was there helping to cover moves in the finale. On the last lap, the plan was for me to work for Federica, so we prepared for that, but in the final moments she got a little boxed in on the left side and I saw an opportunity open up on the right, so I went for it. Overall, it was a super positive day for the team and I think we should all be really proud of how we raced today.”
(ph. Aymeric Lassak)
