Charlotte Kool (Team DSM) and Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM) combined perfectly again on stage 3 of the RideLondon Classique to take the final stage and confirm the Ducth woman’s overall victory after three days of hectic racing in Britain.
Kool was delivered perfectly by Georgi with 150 metres to go and fought through the pain barrier, after crashing on stage 2, to power to her sixth World Tour victory of the season.
It was close however, and the Team DSM sprinter was only half a bike length ahead of Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM) and Maike van der Duin (Canyon-SRAM) in third, at the line. Dygert’s second-place finish pushed her up to second on GC 11 seconds behind Kool.
“I was in a lot of pain this morning but I think in the race I switched it off and the team delivered me perfectly, this is really a team win,” said Kool. “They [Canyon-SRAM] went early and I think I could expect that because she [Dygert] has done that before. I just tried to wait as long as possible then I knew I had to go, but it was a hard one.
“I’m really happy I could win the stage.”
Georgi, a former British champion, looked after Kool throughout the three stages by closing down attacks, completing the lead-outs and working to ensure the young sprinter had every opportunity at victory.
“Pfeiffer knows exactly what to do, she’s the best lead out I think and she delivered me perfectly,” said Kool.
Georgi expressed how well the duo operate together in bunch sprints, even more impressive given the British rider is just 22 and Kool 24-years-old. The time they had working for former teammate Lorena Wiebes – now with SD Worx – in the past has clearly consolidated their relationship on and off the bike.
“We’re really good friends and I think she trusts me and I trust her which works really well in races,” Georgi told Cyclingnews.
“Me and Charlotte just communicate and she sticks to my wheel and if there were any attacks I’d have to close them slowly and put Charlotte in a position to sprint with 150 to go.”
It was far from a two-rider effort however, as the whole of their team had contributed to Kool’s survival in the harder stages in Essex, helped bring back the three-rider break today and positioned Georgi and Kool close enough to the front to take on the lead out and sprint undisturbed.
