🇨🇳 Tour of Chongming Island (2.WWT)
💨 Stage 1: Chongming New City Park - Chongming New City Park (110km)
The Tour of Chongming Island, the final WorldTour stage race of the season, kicked off with the first of three flat stages tailor-made for the sprinters.
Following the intermediate sprint with around 30km remaining, a dangerous move split off the front featuring nearly all the pre-race favorites. The only major squad caught out was Human Powered Health, who took up the chase in earnest and drove the pace to neutralize the move, bringing the peloton back together.
A series of counter-attacks followed as riders sought to disrupt a bunch sprint finish, but the sprinters' teams kept a tight leash on the bunch. With every late move reeled in, the peloton hurtled toward a fast, compact group finish.
Unsurprisingly, Lorena Wiebes unleashed her unmatched top-end speed to claim a convincing victory on Stage 1! Clara Copponi and Lara Gillespie rounded out the day's podium in second and third, while Maggie Coles-Lyster and Yuandan Wen completed the top five.