Mara Roldan solos to first pro win as Team Picnic PostNL dominate Stage 2 of Tour of Britain Women

Stage 2 of the Tour of Britain Women sent the peloton over an undulating parcours from Hartlepool to Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The day started with a controlled peloton and an early three-rider breakaway that managed to carve out a lead of about three minutes. With 35 kilometres to go and the race approaching the first of two ascents of Marske Lane, the breakaway had been whittled down to two riders, still holding a gap of almost two minutes. The Team Picnic PostNL riders were well-positioned at the front of the bunch heading into the local finishing circuit.

After the first lap of the local circuit, the race had already begun to splinter. Around 30 riders remained in the front group, including a very active Mara Roldan and Megan Jastrab. The fast pace and tough terrain continued to wear down the field, and by the time the race entered its final lap, the lead group had been reduced to just 15 riders—five of them from Team Picnic PostNL. On the second and final ascent of Marske Lane, Roldan launched a perfectly timed attack. Cresting the climb with a gap of ten seconds, she powered on solo into the final kilometres. Behind her, Markus tried to close the gap, but the 21-year-old Canadian held off the charging Dutch rider and the chasing group behind to take a stunning solo victory—her first at professional level. It was an all-around strong team performance from Team Picnic PostNL, with riders present in all the key moves and active in shaping the race.

After the stage Roldan said: “Today still hasn’t fully sunk in! It was a hard and aggressive race as soon as we hit the circuit, but we rode really well as a team—always together and in position for the key moments. After yesterday’s disappointing mechanical and losing time on GC, I came into today super motivated, and so did the girls. We were fully committed to the plan. The team set me up perfectly going into the second lap, and I attacked on the steepest part of the climb. As soon as I got a gap, I knew I had to commit and give it everything to the line. It was still a long way—15 kilometres—but Callum in the car kept me motivated, and I dug deep all the way to the finish. I’m so thankful to all the girls for their hard work. It’s such a special feeling to take this win—especially as it’s my first in the Women’s WorldTour. It gives us so much confidence going forward, not just for the next two days of this race, but for the rest of the season!”

Team Picnic PostNL coach Callum Ferguson added: “We had a plan that Mara would attack where she did. That was our goal of the day, to set up an attack on this point. The girls set it up perfectly and Mara was the strongest. It was really perfect teamwork and there’s not much more to add than that; just a super day by the team.”

Photo credit: SWpix.com