Canyon//SRAM Racing’s Kasia Niewiadoma made light of inclement conditions to win the OVO Energy Women’s Tour’s first hill-top finish at Burton Dassett Country Park, Warwickshire, on Wednesday.

The Polish rider, who won the 2017 race, outsprinted Team Sunweb’s Liane Lippert after the duo had broken away from the peloton with Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) on the first of three ascents of Burton Dassett.

Longo Borghini’s team-mate Lizzie Deignan finished third on the stage, while German rider Lippert replaces her compatriot Lisa Brennauer (WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling) in the OVO Energy green jersey of race leader with just two stages in Wales to come.

Speaking after taking the victory on a rain-lashed final ascent, Niewiadoma, said: “Once I saw all the stage details I knew this one was for me. I really like this kind of climb – short, punchy; hills where I can really make an advantage over the others. I knew I needed to be there and have a great position at the bottom of the climb and then see what happens.

“I felt like a piece of crap, I felt so bad because of the rain and cold. But once you attack you go into this weird suffering mode, you forget about everything and you just want to get to the line first. 

 “Once I crossed the finish line, I thought about this morning’s conversation with my boyfriend [professional rider Taylor Phinney] because he woke up and told me I was going to win today. He doesn’t say that often. I thought: ‘OK, he believes in me.”

Lippert moves into the OVO Energy Green jersey, although on equal time with Niewiadoma, and was surprised to take the lead.

“I was already on the team bus when I heard I was in the leader’s jersey and I had to climb off and everyone was cheering for me, it was funny,” she said.

 “I went all out and saw Kasia in front of me. I tried to get closer but she was super strong and I’m happy with my second place. I first need to realise what just happened. I’m in the leader’s jersey now and it’s my first UCI Women’s WorldTour podium finish ever. I have a really strong team. Now I’m in the jersey but we’ll see. I hope to [win the overall], I will try my best.”

A trio of riders – Charlotte Becker (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope), Femke Markus (Parkhotel Valkenburg) and last year’s Warwickshire winner Sarah Roy (Mitchelton-SCOTT) – built an eight-minute lead.  Becker was the first to lose contact from the front on the day’s second SKODA Queen of the Mountains climb with Markus and Roy being caught before the second passage of the finish line at Burton Dassett. 

Roy’s efforts earned her the Wahooligan Combativity Award, while Niewiadoma’s victory moves her to within a point of Christine Majerus (Boels Dolmans) in the SKODA Queen of the Mountains jersey.

Both the Eisberg sprints jersey and HSBC UK | British Cycling Best British Rider jersey remained on the shoulders of Coryn Rivera (Team Sunweb) and Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) going into stage five.

Stage four highlights

Support Kasia Niewiadoma and Breast Cancer Care

Why not show your support for Kasia Niewiadoma by donating to Canyon//SRAM Raicng’s Breast Cancer Care JustGiving page?

As well as encouraging their riders to perform at the highest level during the race, you’ll be funding vital research and support for breast cancer patients overseen by our official charity partner.

Results

Click here for full standings from stage four in Warwickshire.

Television

Highlights from stage four will air in the UK on ITV4 at 20:00 on Thursday and are repeated at 06:25 on Friday morning.

Each show will be available on the ITV Hub (UK residents only) for 30 days.

Click here for details of international TV details.

Stage five details

Powys will host the toughest-ever stage in OVO Energy Women’s Tour history as the race returns to Wales on Friday 14 June.

The world’s best riders will tackle an arduous stage between Llandrindod Wells – home of the National Cycle Collection – and the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells on day five of the 2019 edition.

Supported by the Welsh Government, the 140-kilometre (87-mile) route through Powys – the first time the county has welcomed the Women’s Tour – features the SKODA Queen of the Mountains climbs of Gorddwr Bank and Pennau along its unrelenting course.

The total elevation gain of 2,206 metres makes stage five of this year’s race the hardest in the event’s history.