Maike and Jesse sprint to top 10s in RideLondon finale

WORDS: REBECCA BLAND
IMAGES: TheO Clarke

High speeds and aggressive racing defined the finale of the new-look RideLondon Classique.

Lorena Wiebes of Team DSM took her third victory in as many stages, but it wasn't plain sailing to the finish. 

The 85km parcours was comprised of two circuits, one short circuit completed twice, then a longer, 10-kilometre circuit ridden seven times. 

Multiple breakaways attempted to get away, but they were never allowed more than 25 seconds on the peloton. 

The Le Col - Wahoo riders remained positioned well, with the plan to keep Jesse and Maike safe for the expected sprint finale.

Despite the escapees' best efforts, the race went to script with the team working hard in the closing kilometres to ensure both protected riders were in a good position. April recapped the action after the race.

"It was fast and fun, we had to go full gas into every corner and constantly move up. On the last lap we were all together and had a really good leadout.

"Maike and Jesse both finished in the top 15, so a really good day out for the team."

The riders executed their leadout well and Maike sprinted to ninth – her first top 10 of the race – with Jesse just behind in 10th.

This means Jesse finishes the RideLondon Classique in ninth overall, a great result in such a stacked WorldTour field.

No doubt this will build Jesse's confidence before the team heads to the Women's Tour next week.

If you didn't manage to catch today's stage live, a full replay is available on GCN+.