CCC-Liv tried to put up a good fight on Saturday in the Strade Bianche. The entire team was at the front at key moments, Soraya Paladin partly opened the final and Marianne tried to achieve the best possible classification at the end. She finished sixth.

CCC Liv’s Soraya Paladin was part of the breakaway that was formed on the fifth unpaved sections of the day and that opened the final. Our Italian participated well in the leading group consisting of 11 riders. She could, however, not keep up with Mavi García’s pace when she jumped away on her own. Paladin then went after García with five of the remaining escapees.

When the peloton started accelerating behind them, Annemiek van Vleuten rushed forward in no time. She passed the chasing group and joined García. In the final climb to the Piazza del Campo in Siena, Van Vleuten secured her victory. Marianne was the best rider of CCC-Liv at 2 minutes and 28 seconds.

“In the first part of the race we were constantly at the front, even on the difficult unpaved gravel sections. We knew that the long fifth gravel one would be a very important moment in the race. And we were attentive and present. Soraya Paladin was strong and jumped; a perfect move from her”, says sports director Jeroen Blijlevens.

“The peloton exploded deeper in the final. Marianne Vos progressed strongly but a sixth place was the best possible result. Today’s results do not lie. Maybe we could have had a slightly better classification with Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (she was not able to start due to a crash on Friday, ed.), but that’s just a guess.“