Places of honor for Knaven, Souren and Koster in the Czech Republic and Luxembourg

Mirre Knaven (AG Insurance-Soudal NXTG) finished second in Gracia Orlova, one of the most famous stage races in the Czech Republic. There were also places of honor for Dutch riders in Luxembourg. Scarlett Souren (VolkerWessels) and Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) finished on the podium at the Elsy Jacobs Festival.

First about Mirre Knaven. The 19-year-old daughter of former cyclists Servais Knaven and Natascha den Ouden won a hill stage in Gracia Orlova earlier this week and ultimately finished 31 seconds behind final winner Corinna Lechner, who already seized power on the opening day and did not relinquish the leader’s jersey. In addition to Lechner and Knaven, Urska Zigart, Tadej Pogačar’s partner, also took the final podium.

The Elsy Jacobs Festival was a well-known stage race for many years, but since this year it has been split into two one-day races. On Saturday, Marta Lach won the ‘Festival Elsy Jacobs à Garnich’ ahead of Christine Majerus and Katrine Aalerud. Lach had plenty to laugh about, because the Polish woman also won the version in Luxembourg City on Sunday.

She managed to beat three Dutch riders in the sprint; Scarlett Souren and Anouska Koster were allowed on the podium and Femke Gerritse came fourth. Moreover, the final phase of the Elsy Jacobs Festival was very tumultuous, because the competition was shortened by a local round. This happened because of a fire somewhere on the course. The riders only heard this three kilometers before the finish.