21-year-old Hungarian, Blanka Vas booked her first win at WorldTour level in the first stage of the Tour de Suisse in Weinfelden.
“This feels very good. I am very happy. This was a real team performance,” Vas told reporters immediately after the finish. “In the final we got away with a smaller group where Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser were also present. They decided to ride full for me in the sprint. That was the plan. Without them, I could never have won here. In such a shorter ride, I am probably the fastest. The start, the first metres of my sprint, is good. I had full confidence in Marlen’s lead-out, which allowed me to start my sprint late.”
Vas is pleasantly surprised with this win at the highest level: “When top riders like Demi and Marlen indicate in the final that they want to ride for me, it gives a lot of confidence. I am very happy that I was able to complete the work of my all my teammates. Having the yellow leader’s jersey around my shoulder now feels a bit strange. I have never worn a leader’s jersey in a lap before. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I can ride in yellow and will definitely enjoy it.”
Sports manager Danny Stam had already noticed Vas’ form in recent weeks. There were high expectations after her fourth place at the World Road Championships in 2021, but she had a difficult year in her first season at the highest level in 2022. “In recent weeks, we see that the fun on the bike is all back with Blanka. In La Vuelta Femenina, Itzulia Women and Vuelta a Burgos, she was already riding with the best. She could well have had a good result of her own there, but because others from the team were riding stronger, she had to push herself away. She did that very well. This victory is a nice reward.”
The result marks the 20th win in a row for Team SD Worx. The team has not lost a race since the last stage of La Vuelta Femenina.
