Laura Trott (Wiggle-Honda) is smoothly making the transition from Olympic gold-medal winning performances on the track to success on the road, after taking the lead in the best young rider classification in the Energiewacht Tour.
Twenty-year-old Trott was the only under-23 rider to make the lead group in a chaotic opening day of the Dutch stage race on Wednesday. Riders were stopped on four occasions during the stage due to several factors, including being sent off course, closed railways crossings and vehicles making their way onto the roads.
When the racing finally re-commenced on the finishing circuit in Winschoten, Kirsten Wild (Argos-Shimano) took the win from a small escape group. Ellen Van Dijk (Specialized-lululemon) placed second, with Iris Slappendel (Rabo Women) in third to make an all-Dutch top three.
Trott's track team pursuit and Wiggle-Honda team-mate Dani King finished 10th at the same time as Trott, who crossed the line in 17th spot, 10 seconds behind Wild. Fellow Brits Lizzie Armitstead (Boels Dolmans) and Katie Colclough (Specialized-lululemon) also finished in the same group.
Wiggle-Honda directeur sportif Simon Cope said: "It was a good ride by all of them to make that selection. They were making the selections all day."
"Laura was the lone young rider in the group. She's got a lead of one minute and one second."
The women's Energiewacht Tour is a UCI 2.2-ranked race that comprises six stages over five days. Friday features a split day, with a 21.1km time trial in the morning and a 77km road race in the afternoon. The race concludes on Sunday, April 7, in Groningen.
On Monday, Trott finished in fourth place in the Grand Prix de Dottignies, her first race for Wiggle-Honda. The race was won by Dutchwoman Vera Koedooder (Sengers).
Related links
Wiggle-Honda offers perfect set-up for Trott, King and Rowsell
Laura Trott: Rider profile
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