CYCLING – Lorena Wiebes has won the UCI MIRON Women’s WorldTour Ronde van Drenthe. The DSM rider follows suit with this. Wiebes won ahead of Elisa Bolsamo and Lotte Kopecky.
At 12:15 pm, 108 women started in Assen for a race over 156 kilometers through the Drenthe country, with the Drenthe boulders and four climbs of the Col du VAM. With little wind and a sun, the weather gods were kind to the riders.
First Attack
After 10 kilometers Kerry Jonker was the first attacker in the race. Team Andy Schleck’s rider quickly took a lead of more than a minute.
When entering the first cobblestone strip at the Boomkroonpad, Jonker’s lead had increased to two and a half minutes. But after the passage in Borger, the lead disappeared like snow in the sun and the peloton had again captured Jonker before Buinen.
Closed platoon
A closed platoon took the next cobblestone lanes, with no one allowed to escape. The three passages of the Col du VAM also did not result in a significant separation. The favorites kept each other in check and escape was almost impossible.
After the first passage through Hoogeveen, the pace in the peloton increased, so that escape was impossible. On the last passage at the VAM. Lorena Wiebes, who had a puncture, had the greatest difficulty in rejoining.
Mass sprint
On the last crossing of the Col du VAM a leading group of eleven women arose, including Ellen van Dijk and Lotte Kopecy, but a chasing group with Wiebes was able to rejoin. In the last twenty kilometers a leading group of four emerged, with Sarah Roy, Nino Buijsman, Anouska Koster and Christine Majerus, the winner of Friday’s Eight of Westerveld. In an exciting final phase, the four front runners were taken back in less than a kilometer. Wiebes was unmatched in the sprint and she won ahead of world champion Elisa Balsamo and Lotte Kopecky was third.