Mischa Bredewold takes overall victory in Itzulia Women after a rock-solid performance

Mischa Bredewold has ticked off a major goal. The 25-year-old Dutch rider wins the general classification of a WorldTour race for the first time with Itzulia Women. Bredewold had to find her own rhythm on the Mendizorrotz, the final climb towards San Sebastian. In the last ten kilometers she fought for what she was worth and closed a gap of 30 seconds. In the final meters she bridged across to the front group. Good for a first overall victory in the Tour of the Basque Country. “This victory makes me very emotional.”

Mischa Bredewold: “What it means to me to be allowed to wear the ‘Chapella’ of the winner? It makes me emotional. The support of the team was incredible. They believed I could pull it off today and that’s why I believed in it myself. I’m over the moon with this win.”

“I’ve learned from my previous attempts to take the overall victory here. Last year I went too hard over my limits at the start of the final climb and blew myself up. So I knew that was my biggest pitfall. It was important to approach the climb intelligently, position myself well and find my own pace.”

“Today I knew the technical descent and the flat section had to be ‘my’ part. I saw them riding ahead and then I had just one goal: catch them. I went so deep, I’ve never experienced that in my life. I almost fainted after the finish. But we made it. The overall victory is in.”

“I’m getting to know my strengths better and can therefore use them more effectively. I gained confidence from my performances in the first stages. I just had to follow my own feeling. If you blow yourself up, it’s over. My teammates also supported me perfectly in this Itzulia. That support gave me wings,” Bredewold concluded.

Sports director Christian Kos: “Mischa Bredewold rode a brilliant Itzulia Women. In the final stage, she fought tooth and nail for her overall victory and fully deserved it. She stuck to her own pace and could still see the front group riding in the distance. I had faith in her descending skills. She threw herself down the descent and then made the most of her time trial abilities on the flat. We are proud of her performance.”