Elise Uijen powers to brilliant breakaway win for Team DSM at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana

After an attacking ride the previous day, Elise Uijen infiltrated the break on today’s final stage at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana again, using her energy wisely before winning a sprint-a-deux to take a brilliant victory for Team DSM.

It was a steady start to the stage before the elastic eventually snapped and a large group of 16 went clear, with Uijen in there for Team DSM. Showing the same strong legs that were on display 24 hours ago, Uijen rode maturely and with a level head beyond her years; saving her energy wisely until the perfect moment. Ending in a front trio over the top of the last climb, she used her descending skills to distance one rider and set up a two-rider sprint for the win. Leading from the front and powering all the way to the line, Uijen raised her hand to her head in disbelief as she crossed the line in first place – her first pro win and her first for Team DSM.

Speaking after the finish a delighted Uijen said: “Today we were really looking to make the race as a team; attacking and going for the stage win. In the end after a lot of attacks I made it into a group. We knew it could go all the way for the stage win so I tried to do my best as possible. In the end it came down to a sprint with another rider and I could finish it off. I’m really happy to take my first pro win and for the team too. We were able to put the cherry on the cake here, because this week we have really built on something, and it’s a blast to end it this way.”

Team DSM coach Kelvin Dekker said: “We were in a good flow after two super strong days as a team. We made a plan to get both Juliette and Elise in the best position in the final to go for the stage win. We were covering a lot of attacks until a big group went clear with Elise and we immediately knew this would go a long way. We did all we could as a team to defend her lead and she did an amazing effort on the last climb. We knew when she went to the line one-on-one from that break that she is hard to beat and she proved just that. It’s amazing to end this week with a big win. It’s a win that followed a process, not just during this week but all pre-season, so it’s a sweet feeling.”