After a period of altitude training in preparation for the second half of the season, Karlijn Swinkels made a successful return to racing today by securing an impressive second place at La Périgord Ladies in France.
The 126.2km race started in Rouffiac and finished in Boulazac. Swinkels lined up alongside teammate Maeva Squiban, racing together with the young riders of the UAE Development Team.
The race was decided by a long breakaway of eight riders, whose strong cooperation allowed them to stay clear all the way to the finish.
Victory went to Eva van Agt (FDJ-SUEZ), who launched the decisive move in the closing stages to take the win. Behind her, Swinkels sprinted to second place, edging Australian champion Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco) in the fight for the runner-up spot.
Karlijn Swinkels said: “We started the race well and stayed at the front, but it was difficult to control. That’s why I decided to attack, because it wasn’t easy to keep the race together. Our plan was also to save Maeva for the finale. In the closing stages it became even harder to control the race because everyone was watching me. I tried to respond to every move, but in the final kilometre I decided to gamble because another team still had two riders. When they didn’t close the gap, I launched my sprint and managed to finish second. Of course I wanted to win, but finishing second is still a good result and, above all, it’s a sign that my form is where it needs to be.”
The same team will be back in action tomorrow at La Picto–Charentaise (1.1), a 139.2km race from Poitiers to Châtellerault, which is scheduled to start at 12:50.
(ph. @photo.candice17)
