Franziska Koch continues to cycle successfully. A few weeks after her victory at Paris-Roubaix, she took the lead in the Tour of Spain.
The German cycling newcomer Franziska Koch took the red jersey of the overall leader at the Tour of Spain. After finishing third at the start, the Paris-Roubaix winner narrowly missed out on winning the day with second place on the second stage of the Vuelta on Monday, but the 25-year-old from Mettmann is at the top of the overall ranking.
Bossuyt had to give up
The lead over second place Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance – Soudal) from Belgium, who had to admit defeat to Koch (FDJ United – Suez) in the sprint in San Cibrao das Viñas, is six seconds.
Ten seconds behind the German, the two-time world champion Lotte Kopecky (Belgium/SD Worx – Protime) lurks in third place. Liane Lippert (Movistar) is in ninth place (+0:16) after two of the seven stages in northwest Spain.
Koch took over the overall lead from the Swiss Noemi Rüegg, who won the first stage but had to drop out on the second.
The top favorites include the French Tour winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a bike) and the Pole Kasia Niewiadoma from the German team Canyon//Sram zondacrypto, who triumphed at the Tour of France the year before last.
Koch wrote in German Sports history
On Tuesday, Koch has a good chance of defending the jersey. The third stage from Padrón to A Coruña is 121.2 kilometers long and 1,823 meters in altitude, and the profile should suit Koch. The decision for overall victory will be made on the seventh and final stage on Saturday, when it goes up to L’Angliru.
The climb, which the men have already ridden at the Vuelta, has a maximum gradient of 23 percent over its 12.1 kilometers. Koch wrote German sports history around three weeks ago with her surprise victory at Paris-Roubaix. She was the first German woman to win cycling’s most important classic race. She was then named athlete of the month for April.
