16th July – Prologue: Yerseke – Yerseke
The Baloise Ladies Tour got underway today with a fast and technical 3.1 km prologue through the streets of Yerseke. With narrow corners and smooth tarmac, it was a course for the powerful and precise. Rachele Barbieri was one of the early pacesetters and powered through the short course to slot into a strong provisional 3rd, just 1.07 seconds off the fastest time at that moment. Franziska Koch followed up with another strong performance, taking provisional 8th place and keeping multiple Picnic PostNL riders within reach of the top 10.
Charlotte Kool was the final rider to take on the course for Team Picnic PostNL and the penultimate starter overall. Known for her speed and prologue strength, Kool lived up to expectations with a blistering ride. She stopped the clock just 1.891 seconds behind winner Bäckstedt, securing an impressive 3rd place on the stage.
After crossing the finish line, Kool said: “It was a flat and fast prologue. I went all out and because of the fine margins in a prologue like this, I also didn’t shy away from taking some risks in the corners. A nice start to the race — I’m looking forward to the sprints later this week.”