Bossuyt Bosses Sprint, Kopecky Unclips

Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance Soudal) blasted to the stage win in a wild finale of Vuelta Femenina‘s second stage.

The young Belgian launched from the middle of a reduced bunch kick after fast-moving rival Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx Protime) dropped her chain mid-sprint.

Franziska Koch (FDJ Suez) finished second at the line and moved into the GC lead in what was a damaging day for the race.

Both overnight race leader Noemi Rüegg and veteran GOAT Marianne Vos abandoned the race Monday.

This was a breakout win for Bossuyt.

The 25-year-old has long been a threat at the highest level but never won in the Women’s WorldTour.

“I was not expecting to win today,” she said at the finish Monday. “I was actually really far back on the final climb. But I made up a lot of places on the downhill and came with a lot of speed.

“I think nobody was expecting that.”

Red jersey Rüegg out after late crash

Monday’s stage through the rolling, rain-slicked hills of Galicia was riddled with late drama.

Race leader and stage 1 winner Rüegg and best young rider Eleonora Ciabocco (Picnic-PostNL) came down after a touch of wheels in the middle of the peloton 12km from the line.

Rüegg was able to get back on the bike but abandoned before the finish. Team EF Education Oatly team has not yet updated on the Swisswoman’s condition.

Ciabocco finished safely and seemed unhurt.

SD Worx-Protime pulled hard to set up a sprint for Kopecky, but it all looked to be undone when rising sensation Paula Blasi (UAE ADQ) sparked a series of attacks on the grinding uphill 2km from the line.

The race all came together again ahead of the final corner in San Cibrao das Viñas, and Anna van der Breggen launched a ripping leadout for Kopecky.

But the Belgian’s gears had other plans.

“I started my sprint at the right moment, but my chain dropped,” Kopecky said at the finish. “If you press both shift buttons at the same time, you go to your small chain ring.

“Just at the moment I was shifting to a bigger gear, I came in contact with Bossuyt,” Kopecky said. “So because of that unexpected hit both shifters were touched and my chain dropped.”

Kopecky finished 15th at the line but was later relegated to the back of the group by race officials due to her collision with Bossuyt.

Vos abandons after stage 1 crash

The stage started under a cloud monday.

Visma-Lease a Bike posted Monday morning to reveal that Vos sprinted to 7th on stage 1 with a fractured collarbone.

The 38-year-old came down inside the final 10km of Sunday’s stage, landed in a ditch, and chased back for a miracle top-10 finish. She’s now gone home to recover.

Another rolling stage suited to the tough sprinters is on tap for stage 3 on Tuesday.

Vuelta España Femenina stage 2 results