Australian champion Mackenzie Coupland took an excellent third place in the eighth edition of La Périgord Ladies.
The one-day race was contested over almost 130km in one of the historic regions of south-west France. It was ultimately decided by an 11-rider attack with just under 80 kilometres to go.
Among them were Australian champion Coupland and her Liv AlUla Jayco teammate Caroline Andersson, who worked extremely well to build a more than two-minute lead over the pack. In the final 20 kilometres, three riders lost contact with the other attackers, leaving eight riders battling for the overall victory.
As the riders approached the flamme rouge, signalling the final kilometre, Dutchwoman Eva van Agt attacked and managed to finish alone with a 17-second lead over her pursuers. Coupland battled it out in the sprint behind, claiming the final spot on the podium.
Mackenzie Coupland
“We came into this race with a very strong team and when the first real attack came, Caroline and myself joined the breakaway. We managed to collaborate very well with the others, and gained a good advantage over the rest of the peloton. In the finale, we tried to attack but couldn’t break away from the others. It’s a shame I missed the last move, but I still managed to sprint well and get onto the podium.”
Jessica Allen (Sport Director)
“We came into today with the goal to be aggressive and have numbers in the front to win or podium from a breakaway or solo move. We had Caroline and Mackenzie in the break of 11 which was a great situation to be in. In the final laps, we had the numbers to be aggressive. Unfortunately fell short of the win but Mackenzie fought hard to sprint to 3rd. The team showed how strong they are today and were hungry for more and have another great opportunity tomorrow.”
La Périgord Ladies results
1. Eva Van Agt 3:15:06
2. Karlijn Swinkels 0:17
3. Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco) 0:17
