Team BikeExchange-Jayco women’s squad will wrap up their 2022 campaign at the inaugural Tour de Romandie Féminin, which starts on Friday, looking to end the season on a high.
The team will line-up with an impressive trio of climbing talent in the shape of Basque rider Ane Santesteban, fresh from a third place finish at Tre Valli Varesine, Slovenian time trial champion Urška Žigart and Australian Amanda Spratt, in what will be her final race with the team.
New Zealander Georgia Williams, Dutch domestique Nina Kessler and the ever-reliable Jess Allen complete the six-rider squad for the new three-day event.
The first edition of the women’s Tour de Romandie will kick-off with a hilly 134km route around Lausanne, before the Queen Stage on day two, that features a hilltop finish at Thyon 2000. The racing then concludes with the longest stage and another hilly parcour on the way to Geneve.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco squad:
Jess Allen (AUS)
Nina Kessler (NED)
Ane Santesteban (ESP)
Amanda Spratt (AUS)
Georgia Williams (NZL)
Urška Žigart (SLO)
Ane Santesteban:
“All the group is super motivated and we’re looking forward to the Tour de Romandie. The second stage finishing at 2000m will decide the GC and I think together with Spratty and Urška, we can do a really good ride there.
I think the motivation was the key at Tre Valli Varesine, not just the result, but how we rode gives me lot of confidence. The last weeks I am feeling good, and everything together gives me lot of positive energy for the last race of the season.”
Martin Vestby (Sport Director):
“This is our last race of the season, but I think we have seen in the last couple of races that we have riders that are still really motivated. We go into the race with two leaders, Ane and Spratty, and they have both shown some good form after the Worlds.
There are a couple of hard stages and I think the form and the road will decide the outcome, but we go there with high motivation and some expectations, we want to end the season on a high.”
2022 Tour de Romandie Feminin – Race Details:
Friday, 7th October: Stage 1, Lausanne – Lausanne, 134.4km
Saturday, 8th October: Stage 2, Sion – Thyon 2000, 104.5km
Sunday, 9th October: Stage 3, Fribourg – Geneve, 147.6km
Photo: Getty Sport
