Beau Wagemaker has won the Aart Koopmans Memorial in her name on the Austrian Weissensee. The marathon skater from Hoogkarspel stayed just ahead of Elsemieke van Maaren and Merel Bosma after a bunch sprint.
The start of the 60 kilometer race on the mountain lake was brought forward by several hours, because temperatures on the Weissensee rose rapidly during the day and the risk of thawing became too great.
First big success
Despite the now ideal conditions, the match never really got going. The peloton stayed together, despite several escape attempts. It soon became clear that it would come down to a bunch sprint. For 27-year-old Wagemaker, who skates for PGM Bakker, it was her first major victory. Previously, she was only the strongest in Noordlaren once.
Remarkably, the drivers of Albert Heijn Zaanlander (Maaike Verweij and Arianna Pruisscher) were unable to join the battle for victory.
The Open Dutch Championship is on the program for the peloton on Saturday. The second race in the Grand Prix is held two days later. Wagemaker then starts in the leader’s suit.