Alex Manley (Bike Exchange-Jayco) continued her impressive run, finishing fourth overall in the Women's Tour.
Manley recently took the overall win at the Lotto-Thuringen Ladies Tour in Germany, winning four of the six stages. In the Women's Tour, Manley showed that she can replicate her strength on World Tour stages.
The decisive stage for Manley came on stage 5, where she rode impressively to finish in the first group ahead of veteran climber Ashley Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx) and in fifth place.
"I wasn't too surprised myself, but I think others who didn't know me as well probably were," Manley said of her stage 5 result.
"I didn't know what to expect, but I was happy to be there in the end."In addition to his performance on stage 5, Manley finished second on stage 3 and sixth on stage 4, earning him fourth place overall at the culmination of the race.
"I'm really happy," said Manley. The girls have been amazing all week. I made a few mistakes, but I'm still learning and I'm really happy to be fourth."
"I'm a little disappointed not to be on the podium, but these girls have been doing this race all week. I appreciate all the hard work the girls put in all week, and I'm really proud of them.
Bike Exchange Jayco went on a two-pronged attack on two hilly courses in stages 4 and 5, with Kristen Faulkner joining Manley in both of the elite selections that formed over the two stages.
"For Kristen, it may have been an attack for the stage win. Manley said of the team plan for Friday, "For Kristen, maybe it was an attack to see if she could get a stage win."
Bike Exchange Jayco did not win the women's Tour, but the team was happy to have left their mark on the race.
"It was really fun," Faulkner said. 'We have a lot on our cards. We have Alex, who is a great sprinter, and we have the climbers, so it was really fun to work with each other and play to our strengths on every stage."
For Manley, three successful weeks on the Lotto-Thuringia Ladies Tour and Women's Tour have buoyed the 26-year-old ahead of a busy summer of stage racing.
"Knowing that what I'm doing is working has given me a lot of confidence. I'm looking forward to what lies ahead."
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