Women's Tour Down Under 2024: Ludwig sprints best uphill and takes the lead
Sebastian Lindner
· 13.01.2024
On the Stirling Climb, the 28-year-old from Team FDJ-Suez had a lead of more than a bike length over second-placed Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ) behind her. She was counted with the same time as the almost 30 riders in the remaining peloton. Thanks to bonus seconds, Ludwig nevertheless took the lead in the overall standings from the previous day's winner Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance - Soudal Team), who was not part of the leading group.
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"It was actually our plan A to ride for Grace Brown," Ludwig explained in the interview at the finish. "We had everything planned out, but Grace didn't feel so good," she added, which is why she had to stand in for her captain and defending champion. Brown crossed the finish line almost 40 seconds behind, meaning that overall victory was a distant memory.
In the absolute final, which the rider already knew from crossing the finish line twice before, it was not a team-mate who pulled Ludwig into the sprint, but Neve Bradbury (Canyon//SRAM Racing). The young Australian had lost contact with Paladin. She in turn had lined up behind Ludwig, but left too big a gap to be able to do anything against the powerful attack.
Women's Tour Down Under 2024 - Results: The top 10 of stage 2
- Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) 2:54:28
- Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) +0:00
- Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ) +0:00
- Francesca Barale (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:00
- Heidi Franz (Lifeplus Wahoo) +0:00
- Alexandra Manly (Liv AlUla JAyco) +0:00
- Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) +0:00
- Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) +0:00
- Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) +0:00
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) +0:00
The current overall standings
- Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) 5:26:55
- Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ) +0:02
- Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) +0:03
- Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) +0:03
- Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) +0:04
- India Grangier (Team Coop - Repsol) +0:08
- Francesca Barale (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:10
- Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) +0:10
- Lieke Nooijen (Visma |Lease a Bike) +0:10
- Nienke Vinke (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:10
How the women's stage 2 of the Tour Down Under 2024 went
Little happened on the longest stage of the tour, which started in Glenelg on the Pacific Ocean. There was no breakaway attempt for a long time, allowing Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health) to secure 20 important points from the front of the peloton on the first climb after a good 12 kilometres. However, this did not happen without a fight, as Ludwig was already in the mix here in second place.
The same result was achieved in the second mountain classification of the day, 20 kilometres from the end on the Stirling Climb, before there was an extra lap to the finish. With 27 points, Ragusa now has a good chance of wearing the mountain jersey after tomorrow. Her closest rival is Ludwig with 11 points.
The two intermediate sprints of the day were similar. Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) crossed the line ahead of Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco). Both are well ahead in the overall standings, three seconds behind Ludwig. For Roseman-Gannon, seconds could still be decisive in the battle for overall victory.
With 46 kilometres to go, Haylee Fuller (Team Bridgelane) was one of the bravest riders to break away from the peloton. However, she didn't make it to the finish ahead of the peloton, nor did Emily Watts from the Australian national team, who made another move 13 kilometres from the end. Ultimately, however, a reduced peloton went into the final climb. Alexandra Manly (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) were two more favourites who could climb to the top of the overall standings with a win on Willunga Hill on the final stage.
