"We are just going to try and win this race, as we do in every race" - Brodie Chapman confirms Lidl-Trek doesn't intend to give the red jersey away without a fight
Cycling
Lidl-Trek ladies achieved their main goal in the opening team time trial, winning the test against the clock and putting their GC ambition Gaia Realini in the red jersey. Yet not everything was ideal as Ellen van Dijk and Elynor Backstedt couldn't stay upright in the final section.
"It’s definitely mixed emotions," begins Brodie Chapman in press release. "We set out to win today, and Ellen van Dijk was crucial for it as she took the longest, hardest pulls. It was unfortunate that she crashed along with Elynor at the very end of the TTT. Without that crash, we would have won by a lot – yet we saved victory at the end, and it’s enough. We made some mistakes, yet we had an amazing race. Now we just hope for Ellen and Elynor to heal up quickly."
"We had to be aware of the wind today. It picked up a little bit from when we did the recon. The most challenging part, though, was that there is no recovery on a course like this, because it was really fast and straightforward."
"Seeing Gaia Realini in the Red jersey this early is pretty exciting. She has definitely come into the race in excellent form and we know how fantastic she is in the mountains. We are just going to try and win this race, as we do in every race," Chapman concludes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Mission successful 🙌 Catch up with reactions from the new race leader @GaiaRealini and @Brodie_Mai 👇 📰 racing.trekbikes.com/stories/lidl-t… #LaVueltaFemenina
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