Liv AlUla Jayco gave a masterclass performance across the four-day Vuelta a Andalucía, dominating to win three out of four stages and claiming the top three podium places in the overall classification.
How it Happened:
Starting as they meant to go on, the squad delivered on day one as Silke Smulders claimed her first professional victory when the team took a 1-2-3 on the stage with Mavi García and Ella Wyllie and subsequently moved into the top three overall standings.
On the second and longest stage, Spanish champion García showed us her prowess by riding to a solo victory and moving into the overall race lead ahead of teammate Smulders.
After finishing in third place on stage one and sitting in third place overall, the penultimate day saw New Zealand champion Wyllie get her chance to shine as she led home another Liv AlUla Jayco 1-2-3 as the trio attacked the race and led through the final 30km together.
Heading into today’s final stage with a sizeable advantage overall, it was a case of working to maintain their GC positions and aiming to make it four from four stage wins. After riding on the front to ensure a solo leader’s advantage was kept under control and as the peloton headed into the last 10km the race was grouped together ahead of a fast bunch sprint.
Quinty Ton was given her chance to shine and came close to taking the team’s fourth consecutive stage win but was just pipped on the line and took a solid second place.
With their domination over the four days the Australian outfit also picked up the overall team’s classification prize plus the mountains classifications jersey with Alex Manly to round out a very impressive four days of racing.
Mavi García – Overall winner
“I am very happy. We worked very well at this race all together. We won three stages, we took the three podium places overall and it has been a great pleasure, and we are all very proud. Today was a really good day, all the team committed to work to try and win the stage to make it four in a row. Finally, we didn’t win the stage but almost with second place and also we fought a lot for the mountains prize for Alex and we took it. We worked to keep my overall yellow jersey and I think everything has been really great and I am very happy to take the overall yellow jersey.”
Shawn Clarke – Sport Director
“It was a dream week for us, everybody rode super well, everybody took something out of it, a podium or a jersey for everybody on the team which is incredible and a lot of the riders go into training blocks now with high motivation for the bigger races coming up. The couple of riders that go to a race next are excited to race and really built some good team tactics so the perfect week here. It couldn’t have gone better, everybody’s super happy, everybody’s fine and we’re good.”
Vuelta a Andalucía stage 4 results:
1. Arlenis Sierra
2. Quinty Ton (Liv AlUla Jayco) ST
3. Alena Amialiusik ST
Vuelta a Andalucía final GC result:
1. Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco)
2. Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco) +0:21
3. Ella Wyllie (Liv AlUla Jayco) +3:24
Photo: Sprint Cycling
