Despite another stage win by Lorena Weaves (SD Worx-Protime), Charlotte Cool (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) felt good when she lined up for a post-race interview at Maldon after Stage 2 of the Ride London Classic. 

Her runner-up was improved to fifth place from Stage 1, where she was held back by a slow punk.

"Yesterday I had a blowout in the last fifteen kilometers, we discovered after the finish, it was not ideal. I felt really good today. I'm really happy that everything went well today and we had a good sprint. At the finish, I was a bit boxed in for a moment, but this is all I can do," Cool said.

It was a fast stage on Saturday and there was no break all day. With 3 ascents in Little Budow's North Hill, cool - a very fast sprinter, but not the same level as the Weave going uphill – her work was cut out for her. 

Pfeiffer Georgi was the most aggressive in repelling many attacks, and she teamed up with Franziska Koch to compete kool in the finish.

"They did really well. I knew I needed to increase the pace of the climb, and they were always around me and could help me come back. In the final, Franzi [Koch] and Pfeiffer [Georgi] really nailed it to reach the best position possible. And I was able to do my best on this climb," Kool explained.

"I gave everything after Franzi and Pfeiffer had a really strong lead-out with a punchy finish.

Over 142.6 km of short and sharp hills in the English countryside, team dsm-firmenich PostNL worked to hold a position in front of the Peloton, but still withstood many crashes Megan Jastrab had to get off the bike and withdraw after 1 of the spills.

After fifth and second place, Cool is now looking forward to Stage 3 in London, finishing at the mall. She won on the stage last year, but there was no weave in the race, but this season she has not yet beaten her rivals in the sprint. Nevertheless, Cool is optimistic about her chances.

"I think the last days will suit me the most. So, I hope tomorrow we can go for victory again," she finished.