Canadian Kiara Lylyk (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) will head into Friday’s stage of the Volta a Portugal Feminina wearing the white jersey after another strong day for the Guelph, Ont. rider. Lylyk finished seventh in the bunch sprint on Stage 2 from Montijo to Tomar (124.7 km). Emma Siegers (AG Insurance Soudal Devo Team) continues to lead overall and the best young rider competition, so with Lylyk second, she will don the jersey on Friday. Lylyk is seventh in the overall GC and third in the points competition.
Vancouver’s Sidney Swierenga (Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Continental Team) is also having a great ride in Portugal, sitting 11th overall and fourth in the best young rider’s competition. Swierenga’s teammate, Anabelle Thomas, from Calgary, (Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Continental Team) sits 52nd overall.
Stage 2 of Volta a Portugal Feminina
Italy’s Martina Alzini (Cofidis) sprinted to victory on Thursday’s 124.7-km second stage from Montijo to Tomar, finishing ahead of Czech rider Kristýna Burlová and Spain’s Eva Anguela after the peloton arrived together.
The overall standings remained more or less unchanged, with AG Insurance Soudal Devo’s Emma Siegers successfully defending the yellow jersey in sweltering conditions. This is the second time this year that Lylyk is wearing the best young rider’s jersey. At the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina in Spain in June she was fifth in the first stage and wore white the next day.
“It was very hot and I tried to stay protected, it went well,” Siegers said, according to Record.pt. “For the third stage, I really like time trials. I’ll do my best to keep the yellow and eventually win.”
Stage 3’s time trial is a dead-flat out-and-back in Coimbra for a total of 10.8 km. It should be a quick (and warm!) day in the saddle for the women racing at the Volta a Portugal Feminina.