Ladies Mieke Docx wraps up the Tour of Chongming Island with sixth place

In the opening stage, Lani Wittevrongel already sprinted to eighth place in the Tour of Chongming Island, and today Mieke Docx wrapped up the three-day race with sixth. “We had local laps on the program, and since there were still plenty of valuable bonus seconds up for grabs, there were constant attacks,” says Mieke Docx. “As a team, we really put together a great race. We kept responding and rode very aggressively, it was a lot of fun.”

“In the last four kilometers, UAE, Trek, and Liv went on the attack. I knew I had to go with them, because once those big teams got away, they wouldn’t lead out the sprint anymore. In the end, 11 of us got clear. We managed to open up a nice gap and, despite a tough finale with only straight roads and a headwind, we stayed in front. Unfortunately, in the last 300 meters I got boxed in a bit, which kept me just outside the top five. I’m disappointed, because we really raced well today as a team. If I could ride that sprint again, I would… I’m disappointed it didn’t go the way I wanted, but that’s racing.”

The Lotto Ladies Team will also be at the start of the Guangxi Ladies race this coming Sunday. “That course suits me a bit less, there’s a steep six- to seven-minute climb right at the start. But with Romina Hinojosa and Dina Boels, we’ve got two strong climbers in our ranks, so hopefully we can deliver another good performance there.”

Picture: PhotoNews