Zoe Bäckstedt achieved a milestone by becoming the youngest winner of the Baloise Ladies Tour during stage 5. In a dramatic finish marked by a significant crash, Martina Fidanza secured victory in the final sprint. Bäckstedt maintained her overall lead despite not participating in the final sprint due to team strategy. Early on, Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto managed the race effectively, controlling the gap to lead Bäckstedt into the final sprint group. The stage also included a bold attack from Scarlett Souren, which ultimately set the stage for the sprint.
"Super hectic, I think more hectic than I imagined," Bäckstedt said, describing the race after the finish. "I think the rain brought a lot of that tension in the peloton, but once you stopped around halfway, then it got flowing a little bit better. And then it was a little bit more enjoyable."
Bäckstedt was aware of the threat of a breakaway to her overall race lead. "Yeah, for sure, there was some danger with the breakaway, but it was controlled nicely and came back to a sprint."
Team Visma-Lease a Bike as Nienke Veenhoven laid down a powerful lead-out for Fidanza. Fidanza beat Barbara Guarischi to second place, while Chiara Consonni finished third.
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