Stage Two winner and overall race leader Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime)
"Yeah, it was all good until the crash, when Lotte [Kopecky] and Femke Gerritse were involved and, actually, I was kind of involved, I didn’t crash but we had to chase back; but then I also felt I had good legs and then I went for the other QoM sprints to get some seconds [back] and the plan was to not go for the last one. Then the girls did really good throughout the whole race with controlling and then Lotte did a really good final."
How much did that crash affect the race for you?
"It didn’t affect me too much but I was a little worried about Lotte and Femke Gerritse, it took some time before they were back in the peloton, and I came back in... and I was like, 'Is this the peloton?’ and she was like, ‘No!’ and then she was chasing me back. It’s never nice to crash."
Was it the plan to win two of the QoM stages?
"Yeah that was the plan because the climb was not too hard, and it’s always nice to go into the last stage with more seconds and that you don’t really have to do the intermediate sprints there."
On Stage Three:
"I’m now 20 seconds in front [provisionally] and I think there’s 16 seconds in total to get tomorrow so I hope I can just focus on the final sprint."
Charlotte Kool (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL), who finished second after a reduced bunch sprint in Maldon, reacts to the Stage Two results and looks ahead to tomorrow.
“It felt really good. The climb was hard but I managed to pace it very well, and in the final the team did a great job putting me in the best possible position.
“I got a bit boxed in and that was not ideal, but then I managed to still pass on people and then on the corner getting into it I knew I had to fight until the line.”
Importance of teamwork?
“It’s really important the whole way, it’s not only in the final. They [her team-mates] always put us in a good position.
“They save a lot of energy for me and that makes a difference to get over those climbs because it’s not an easy stage at all.
“And if I’m on a bit of a gap they are always immediately there to close the gap and be around me.
“Mentally, it helps me if they are always around me, I don’t need to think, I just follow them.”
On Stage Three:
“We found out yesterday I had a puncture in the last 15km so that was no ideal, so I’m glad today I felt really good again and technically tomorrow is the stage that fits me the best so we are really looking forward to that stage.”
British rider Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek)
On Stage Two:
“It was fun! I really enjoyed it. It was aggressive and dynamic racing. We had a good time.”
On being Best British rider again:
“It’s a nice surprise, I never really thought about it. I was just going for the final sprint to try and take some seconds away from anyone competing against Clara [Copponi], really, so it’s a nice by-product!”
Looking ahead to Stage Three:
“Tomorrow is a real sprint, obviously. It’s a totally different race. It’s a circuit race, we don’t have many of those. It’s going to be a tough, hard day, but Clara is in great shape and we still believe in her for the podium.”
Rebecca Koerner (Uno-X Mobility), who all but confirmed victory in the Queen of the Mountains Classification today, said:
“It feels really good to know that I have the jersey tomorrow, but I’m also looking forward to more than just finishing tomorrow, I want to go out there and make a party.
"It’s going to be crazy to have a criterium in the middle of London, it is going to be wild. I think it is going to be one of the biggest experiences of my life.
“I was very worried when Lorena [Wiebes] won the first two QoMs and thought, ‘OK, this is it’. I was just not strong enough to win points from the bunch and I didn’t know until I crossed the Finish Line that she [Lorena] did no win the last one, so I was very happy and relieved to know I had done it.
“As a team, we tried to get points on the first QoM but I was not strong enough, when they started sprinting I felt the lactic [acid] and had no legs for the sprint, unfortunately, but I was good enough to get enough QoM points yesterday so I am just happy about that.”
Pre-race quotes
Ahead of the second stage of today’s Ford RideLondon Classique, riders speak about the challenges and plans for the route.
Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) won the opening stage of the 2024 Ford RideLondon Classique yesterday (Friday 24 May).
On Stage One:
“I’m feeling good. I was happy with the win and the teamwork.”
On teamwork:
“The pressure will be more on us, I think. Less teams will work today but that’s fine for us. We showed yesterday how we can do it, and the girls are ready again today!”
On Stage Two:
“It’s possible to go with a smaller group to the Finish Line. It’s easier to control and for positioning towards a sprint, we will see how it plays out. We have a strong team for this.”
Contenders for today’s race?
“Canyon//SRAM Racing and Lidl - Trek will be more aggressive with the climbs today.”
Rebecca Koerner (Uno-X Mobility)
On being in the Queen of the Mountains (QoM) jersey heading into Stage Two, after winning a maximum nine points yesterday.
“It feels really good, I was smiling all evening yesterday, it feels really good to get a jersey, it is my first in an international race so that feels really nice.”
On recovery:
“Surprisingly good, I was thinking I was going to be more tired than I actually am so it feels good and I am ready to go again today.”
On retaining the QoM jersey:
“Yes, I am going to try and go for it today, to defend it, I think some things have to go wrong for me not to get it. I am going to try and get some points to defend it.”
On teamwork and Stage Two:
“It is really, really important we help each other to stay towards the front. There are some really strong riders here today for the stage and the overall general classification so we definitely have our eyes on them, especially riders from SD Worx – Protime, they are really strong. For the QoM competition I think I have to look at the riders who have points and that’s only three other riders so I think I can manage that.”
Charlotte Kool (Team dsm-firmenich-PostNL)
Memories of racing in Maldon in 2023:
“My memories are that I crashed really hard. I think the hardest crash of my life it was really unexpected. I was already over the moon that I survived the climbs and I was so happy to be able to go for the win that day and then it was like, 'Bam!'
“But I’m happy it was in the last 3K so I got the same time and that saved my general classification last year but it made it a bit more exciting on the last day because I needed those seconds.”
On Stage Two:
“The field is different and the bonus seconds on the climbs will make the climb even harder I think but we will see but with the team I have we have the ability to come back so I really want to pace the climb as good as possible and then we see where we come from and hopefully we can try another time today.”
Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) pushed yesterday's Stage One winner Lorena Wiebes all the way in the bunch sprint finish in Colchester.
Paternoster said: “I will give my best today to try and defend my place! And maybe take a victory.”
On Stage Two in Maldon:
“I feel good. The laps are a bit harder than yesterday.”
On teamwork:
“We try and maybe fix something that was wrong yesterday and go for the best result.”
Today's contenders?
“We have a good team, so maybe today we can do our biggest effort!”