Mavi García uncorks flurry of attacks to conquer Classic Lorient Agglomeration
This article originally appeared on Velo News
Mavi Garcia (UAE ADQ) wasn’t letting the Classic Lorient Agglomeration-Ceratizit Trophy finish in a bunch sprint Saturday.
The Spanish champ uncorked a series of attacks through the final of the hilly WorldTour race to draw out Amber Kraak (Jumbo-Visma) and blast past her rival in a final two-rider gallop.
“It’s my first victory in a WorldTour classic, I am very happy,” Garcia said.
Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez Futuroscope) finished third out of a small bunch of chasers that were distanced in the final kilometers after Garcia launched yet another searing acceleration in a bid to foil the fastest finishers.
Garcia flourished this season despite her reaching “veteran” status.
The 38-year-old doubled the Spanish road and TT titles, finished third in the Giro Donne and slotted into 10th at the Tour de France Femmes after bouncing back from a disaster day on the gravel-strewn fourth stage.
Victory on Saturday sees the Spaniard score the biggest result of an ever increasing palmares in one of her final races before she joins Liv-Xstra in 2023.
“I attacked on the last two climbs because I was the best climber in the group but could not get away,” she explained.
“I thought we would arrive for a sprint, but nothing is lost by trying, so I attacked again. And finally, with one kilometer to go, we got away with Kraak. I am not a sprinter, but neither was she, and I won.”
Wow! That was a very, very hard-fought victory for Mavi Garcia!
What a ride in the final lap!#LorientAgglo pic.twitter.com/mynmwLNsKU
-- UCI_WWT (@UCI_WWT) August 27, 2022
The Classic Lorient Agglomeration - once known as GP Plouay - is one of the toughest in the Women’s WorldTour.
At 160km and 2,200 meters of climbing, the 20th edition of the race was relentless and riddled with attacks and splits.
Sara Martin (Movistar) was reeled in at around 30km to go after playing lone survivor from the day’s early escape.
An all-star 13-rider move blew off the front and hit the final hilly 13km circuit around Plouay with around two minutes over the peloton after what had been an attritional day of racing.
Garcia, Kraak, Brown, Audrey Cordon Ragot (Trek Segafredo), Juliette Labous (DSM), Blanka Vas (SD Worx), Amanda Spratt (BikeExchange), and Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) were among the dozen-plus riders that were poised to play for victory as the race roared toward the final.
Garcia squeezed the pressure and split the group in two at 10km to go, but the leading six never gained enough ground to go clear.
The Spanish champ kept pushing through the final climbs and again forced small splits, but seemed destined to be derailed as Chabbey and Brown kept active in marking and countering moves.
Cordon Ragot, Spratt, and a handful more were dropped on the final climb before Garcia and Kraak finally forced a winning move at 1500 meters to go.
The seven-rider chase group refused to cooperate and Kraak and Garcia worked together just enough to fend off the faltering bunch behind.
The twosome dangled seconds ahead of the chasers in the wide finishing straight and Kraak was forced to lead out the sprint. Garcia sat poised on the wheel and uncorked her acceleration at 100m to go to score victory over her Dutch rival.
Brown led home the chase group to take third.
Classic Lorient Agglomeration - Trophee Ceratizit Results
1 | GARCIA Mavi | UAE Team ADQ | 4:02:16 |
2 | KRAAK Amber | Team Jumbo-Visma | 0:00 |
3 | BROWN Grace | FDJ - SUEZ - Futuroscope | 0:05 |
4 | SANGUINETI Ilaria | Valcar - Travel & Service | 0:05 |
5 | VERHULST Gladys | Le Col - Wahoo | 0:05 |
6 | CHABBEY Elise | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 0:05 |
7 | DRONOVA-BALABOLINA Tamara | Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad | 0:05 |
8 | VAS Blanka | Team SD Worx | 0:05 |
9 | LABOUS Juliette | Team DSM | 0:08 |
10 | CORDON-RAGOT Audrey | Trek - Segafredo | 0:11 |
11 | SPRATT Amanda | Team BikeExchange - Jayco | 0:11 |
12 | ASENCIO Laura | Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling | 0:11 |
13 | GUTIERREZ Sheyla | Movistar Team | 0:43 |
14 | NEYLAN Rachel | Cofidis Women Team | 2:24 |
15 | BALSAMO Elisa | Trek - Segafredo | 3:17 |
16 | CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia | Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling | 3:17 |
17 | LE NET Marie | FDJ - SUEZ - Futuroscope | 3:17 |
18 | CROMWELL Tiffany | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 3:17 |
19 | KOSTER Anouska | Team Jumbo-Visma | 3:17 |
20 | GERRITSE Femke | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 3:17 |
21 | PERSICO Silvia | Valcar - Travel & Service | 3:17 |
22 | WILLIAMS Lily | Human Powered Health | 3:17 |
23 | BOILARD Simone | St Michel - Auber93 WE | 3:17 |
24 | GASPARRINI Eleonora Camilla | Valcar - Travel & Service | 3:17 |
25 | STEPHENS Lauren | EF Education-TIBCO-SVB | 3:17 |
26 | MACKAIJ Floortje | Team DSM | 3:17 |
27 | TOMASI Laura | UAE Team ADQ | 3:17 |
28 | BUIJSMAN Nina | Human Powered Health | 3:17 |
29 | VANDENBULCKE Jesse | Le Col - Wahoo | 3:17 |
30 | CECCHINI Elena | Team SD Worx | 3:17 |
31 | NORSGAARD Emma | Movistar Team | 3:17 |
32 | YONAMINE Eri | Human Powered Health | 3:17 |
33 | PERKINS Flora | Le Col - Wahoo | 3:17 |
34 | CHRISTOFOROU Antri | Human Powered Health | 3:17 |
35 | FAULKNER Kristen | Team BikeExchange - Jayco | 3:17 |
36 | BUJAK Eugenia | UAE Team ADQ | 3:17 |
37 | VAN AGT Eva | Le Col - Wahoo | 3:17 |
38 | DE JONG Thalita | Liv Racing Xstra | 3:17 |
39 | WILLIAMS Georgia | Team BikeExchange - Jayco | 3:17 |
40 | JASKULSKA Marta | Liv Racing Xstra | 3:17 |
41 | ADEGEEST Loes | IBCT | 3:17 |
42 | TOWERS Alice | Le Col - Wahoo | 3:17 |
43 | VAN ANROOIJ Shirin | Trek - Segafredo | 3:17 |
44 | DOEBEL-HICKOK Krista | EF Education-TIBCO-SVB | 3:17 |
45 | FRANZ Heidi | InstaFund Racing | 3:17 |
46 | SCHOENS Quinty | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 3:17 |
47 | ERIC Jelena | Movistar Team | 3:17 |
48 | EMOND Clara | Emotional.fr-Tornatech-GSC Blagnac VS31 | 3:17 |
49 | BIRIUKOVA Yuliia | Arkea Pro Cycling Team | 3:17 |
50 | VAN DEN BROEK-BLAAK Chantal | Team SD Worx | 3:17 |
51 | LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup | FDJ - SUEZ - Futuroscope | 3:17 |
52 | LEVENEZ Sandra | Cofidis Women Team | 3:17 |
53 | DEMAY Coralie | St Michel - Auber93 WE | 3:17 |
54 | COSTON Morgane | Arkea Pro Cycling Team | 3:17 |
55 | SHACKLEY Anna | Team SD Worx | 3:17 |
56 | ALLIN Pauline | Arkea Pro Cycling Team | 3:17 |
57 | NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 3:17 |
58 | STULTIENS Sabrina | Liv Racing Xstra | 3:17 |
59 | LONGO BORGHINI Elisa | Trek - Segafredo | 3:17 |
60 | ARMITAGE Megan | IBCT | 3:17 |
61 | MARTIN Sara | Movistar Team | 3:17 |
62 | LIPPERT Liane | Team DSM | 3:17 |
63 | CHAPMAN Brodie | FDJ - SUEZ - Futuroscope | 3:17 |
64 | BIDEAU Sandrine | St Michel - Auber93 WE | 3:17 |
65 | LACH Marta | Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling | 3:17 |
66 | AMIALIUSIK Alena | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 3:17 |
67 | BARIL Olivia | Valcar - Travel & Service | 3:17 |
68 | TON Quinty | Liv Racing Xstra | 3:56 |
69 | WYLLIE Ella | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 3:56 |
70 | RIEDMANN Linda | Team Jumbo-Visma | 3:56 |
71 | BARALE Francesca | Team DSM | 3:56 |
72 | GUILMAN Victorie | FDJ - SUEZ - Futuroscope | 3:56 |
73 | LIMPENS Pien | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 4:25 |
74 | GAFINOVITZ Rotem | Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad | 7:17 |
75 | RAGUSA Katia | Liv Racing Xstra | 7:17 |
76 | HARRIS Ella | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 7:17 |
77 | WRIGHT Sophie | UAE Team ADQ | 7:17 |
78 | ALLIONE Marine | Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime | 7:17 |
79 | GRONDAHL Antonia | IBCT | 7:17 |
80 | HENRY Holly | InstaFund Racing | 7:17 |
81 | BRADBURY Neve | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 7:17 |
82 | NILSSON Hanna | Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling | 7:17 |
83 | SMULDERS Silke | Liv Racing Xstra | 7:17 |
84 | JASTRAB Megan | Team DSM | 7:17 |
85 | TEUTENBERG Lea Lin | Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling | 8:04 |
86 | FORTIN Valentine | Cofidis Women Team | 8:04 |
Results provided by ProCyclingStats.
For exclusive access to all of our fitness, gear, adventure, and travel stories, plus discounts on trips, events, and gear, sign up for Outside+ today.
