After a Classics campaign of ups and downs, where she finished runner-up in the Strade Bianche but was hampered by illness in the Ardennes, the Vuelta Femenina was the first big stage race in Anna van der Breggen’s comeback to racing after three seasons away from racing. The SD Worx-Protime rider-turned-sport-director-turned-rider was back to her best, winning stage 4 with a downhill attack and finishing third on both mountain stages to finish third overall and so on the final podium with winner Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and Marlen Reusser (Movistar).
“I am really happy with this third place; it was a good stage for me. My teammates continuously kept us near the front. That only motivated me more. I wanted to do as well as I could on the final climb,” Van der Breggen said, looking back at her race.
