Riding a wave of confidence after an emphatic maiden professional victory yesterday, Emily Dixon delivered again on a demanding stage two, coming out quickest in a four-rider sprint to secure her second consecutive win at Gracia Orlová.
“I’m super happy, and I’m so proud of how we rode together as a team. All race, the girls were with me, helping me, and we executed the team plan perfectly.”
The all-U23 squad, four of whom are still teenagers, entered the queen stage of the Czech race buoyed by their breakthrough result on stage one, carrying momentum and renewed belief into another decisive day of the tour.
Again, it was a stage ripe for opportunity, with Emily Dixon – the general, points and U23 classification leader – once again the team’s primary focus. The 115km route offered more rolling terrain and gradual gradients than the opening stage, but culminated in a longer 6.4km climb at 6.8% to a mountain saddle. As on the previous day, and as Generation have consistently shown this season, their cohesion and unity were once again evident throughout the race.
Emily Dixon explained:
“I think it was just key that we were always together and had a lot of respect in the peloton. The girls were always on the front and checking in on me – they did so much work and really sacrificed their own races.”
“They also set me up well for the descents. When I’m at the front I trust my descending, but I still get a bit nervous around unknown wheels, so being behind my teammates really helps because they’re very good descenders.”
“Jule Märkl and Joëlle Messemer rode really well coming into the climb, then Awen Roberts set a strong pace. Tsige Kahsay Kiros attacked and made the others work hard, and from there I was able to go. I’m really happy that we could pull off a win two days in a row.”
Despite back-to-back victories, there was a hint of disappointment after the line as Emily Dixon reflected on her inability to distance rivals on the final climb.
“It was very hard at the end. The other girls were super strong and I tried to drop them, but when I looked back they were still there on the wheel. It would have been nice to come in with a gap, but I don’t think the climb was steep enough to get rid of them. I’m really excited to come into tomorrow in yellow, but I hope we can defend it. That will be a tough ask.”
Emily Dixon was hoping to build a stronger buffer ahead of tomorrow’s 13.5km time trial; it’s flat, non-technical, and crucial for the general classification. She entered stage two with a six-second lead over Zemanová (VIF), and while she finished on the same time as both Zemanová and Liechti (NXT), courtesy of time bonuses, she extended her overall lead to 12 seconds.
Tomorrow’s agenda also includes stage four – a rare double-stage format featuring the time trial followed by a late-afternoon circuit race. The morning will focus on defending the yellow jersey in a discipline where Emily Dixon shows promise but remains largely untested, before attention turns to the team’s sprint options later in the day.
(source: press office – © Dominik Stuchlik)
