Cedrine Kerbaol's exhibition in the women's Volta Valencia 2024

USPA NEWS - Cedrine Kerbaol rode solo the last 10 kilometers without the peloton being able to catch her.



The North American squad of Human Powered Health gets the second place with cyclist Marit Raaijmakers.

The French rider Cedrine Kerbaol, from the Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling team, has been crowned as the best of the international peloton in the 2024 edition of the Volta Valencia for women, which took place this past Sunday in Valencia.

In this sixth edition of the race, which was held simultaneously with the 75th VCV - Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Gran Premi Banc Sabadell, Kerbaol won and took the victory in Tinglado 2 of the Port of Valencia. The Dutch Marit Raaijmakers and the Italian Federica Piergovani completed the podium of this 6th VCV Féminas Gran Premi Tuawa.

A host of national champions and the great favorites for the final victory have captured the attention of the enthusiasts gathered in the Alameda Escultor Ramón Inglés of Bétera to witness a historic day of cycling.

The competition began at a frenetic pace, with numerous breakaway attempts, all unsuccessful due to the refusal of the peloton to give hope to anyone. The group arrived compact at the first climb, l'Oronet, although some riders were already exhausted and fell behind the peloton.







On the second climb, La Frontera, the race broke up completely, leaving the peloton in pieces, at which point a trio of riders formed at the front. Julie Bego (COFIDIS), Caroline Andersson (JAYCO) and Cedrine Kerbaol (CERATIZIT) took the lead, managing to distance themselves from the main group.

With only 10 kilometers to go and the peloton already watching them closely, an unfortunate crash of Andersson in the curves of l'Horta Nord was the decisive factor that fractured this group of three, leaving Kerbaol alone at the head of the race while the other two breakaway companions were caught by the main group.

Cedrine Kerbaol had just over 10 kilometers left to ride alone if she wanted to secure the victory, and what a speed the French rider completed them. No one was able to catch her and, although the chasing group led by Marit Raaijmakers arrived just 3 seconds later, Kerbaol was crowned with the glory of victory.

Human Powered Health' takes first podium of the season

The North American squad of Human Powered Health gets the second place with cyclist Marit Raaijmakers.

"It feels great," Raaijmakers said. "It's confirmation of good winter training and a strong group of riders who managed to get on the podium at the start of the season. This gives confidence for the rest of the season."

The young rider, only 24 years old, came very close to victory when she broke away from the peloton just 200 meters from the finish line, trying to catch Cedrine Kerbaol, but failing to do so. She had to settle for second place, just three seconds behind. Despite achieving the first podium of the season, the North American squad feels a mixture of emotions having come to Spain with the goal of winning the race. Throughout the event, they worked closely with Movistar Team to control the race and neutralize any breakaway attempts.