Swinkels just misses out on the podium at Festival Elsy Jacobs

Swinkels just misses out on the podium at Festival Elsy Jacobs

With the ninth place in the last stage of Festival Elsy Jacobs, Karlijn Swinkels has just missed the podium in the final classification. She concluded the Luxembourg race with the fourth place at eighteen seconds from the winner Emma Norsgaard. Anouska Koster and Riejanne Markus finished in places six and nine respectively.

With no fewer than three riders in the top ten of the general classification, Team Jumbo-Visma Women began the final stage in Garnich. Swinkels, Koster and Markus were all within twelve seconds of leader Norsgaard, so everything was still possible in the final stage. The minimal differences in the classification ensured that the women of Jumbo-Visma were not the only team who were ready to attack.

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With less than thirty kilometres to go, the race exploded and a group of eighteen riders including Swinkels, Koster and Markus took the lead. Despite the attacking tactics of, among others, the Dutch riders, the stage again ended in a sprint with the first group.

"We rode for the first place and it’s a pity we didn’t get a podium place."

Karlijn Swinkels

Swinkels, who traded the points jersey for the leader’s jersey of the youth classification today, had secretly hoped for more: “We have ridden a super attacking race. We were with three riders in the front group of eighteen and that was actually the perfect situation. We rode for the first place and it’s a pity we didn’t get a podium place. At the same time, we are fourth in the general classification and we have achieved a number of strong top ten placings in recent days. I think we can be satisfied with this team performance.”

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