Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) came very close to winning stage 6 and possibly the general classification at the Simac Ladies Tour with a 39-kilometre solo breakaway. However, in a thrilling finish, the 23-year-old was caught at the line by world champion and eventual winner Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
Ultimately, Smulders finished fourth on the day and seventh overall in the final GC, 23 seconds behind Kopecky.
“I’m really proud of my effort and of the team. We wanted to make it tough and go for it, that’s how we like to race. I’m incredibly proud of my performance and I think I was really strong. I almost pulled it off, so I’m really satisfied with that,” Smulders said after the finish, narrowly missing out on the time bonuses and placing fourth.
Smulders began the sixth and final stage in seventh place overall, 21 seconds behind the overnight leader Franziska Koch (DSM-Firmenich PostNL). She launched her attack on the third of seven finishing laps at 8.1km each, and like many solo breakaways, Smulders had not planned to go alone.
“I was hoping someone would join me and thinking ‘what have I done,’ but once you’re in it, there’s no turning back. I decided to push as hard as I could to the finish and see where it took me,” she explained.
Smulders joined Lotto-Soudal in 2021 before moving to Liv Racing the following year. The team merged with GreenEdge’s women’s team in 2024 to become Liv-AlUla-Jayco. Smulders had a consistent season, placing well in various races, including the Vuelta Femenina, Vuelta a Burgos, Vuelta a Andalucía, Giro d’Italia Women, Tour de France Femmes, Classic Lorient Agglomération, and Tour de Romandie.
Carrying her form into the Simac Ladies Tour, Smulders finished fifth in the stage 1 time trial before going all out on the final day. She even briefly held the virtual GC lead and was just a few meters away from a memorable victory.
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“For a long time, I thought I might make it as I approached the final corner. The gap was decreasing, but unfortunately, they caught me at the line. It was tough, but I didn’t expect to come this far when I started,” she reflected.
Despite missing out on the stage win, Smulders received the combativity prize and the red jersey. She also celebrated with her teammate Jeanne Korevaar, who won the QOM classification, holding the polka-dot jersey since stage 2.
“Once I got the QOM jersey, I was determined to keep it, and it was incredible that the team supported me in that goal. It’s a prize for the entire team, as we rode aggressively and can be proud of our performance. While we hoped for Silke to win today, we are all extremely proud of her,” Korevaar expressed.
Silke Smulders celebrates on the podium with the combativity award on stage 6 at the Simac Ladies Tour (Image credit: Getty Images)
