There will be a big sigh of relief in the SD Worx-Protime team bus. After a questionable tactical game by the team, Lorena Wiebes still sprinted to victory in Gent-Wevelgem. The Dutch sprint bomb needed an excellent lead-out from Lotte Kopecky and a finishing photo for the liberating triumph.
In the relatively flat first hundred kilometers, six women were allowed to ride away, with Julie Van de Velde as the only Belgian. The group was given more than six minutes, but was caught before the hill zone.
Before that, Lotte Kopecky had already shown her excellent form with beechwork in De Moeren. With the wind at her back, she briefly broke the peloton into pieces. Paced by her teammates from SD Worx, she did that again on the first ascent of the Kemmelberg.
In the descent, an elite group emerged with Kopecky and Wiebes for SD Worx, Balsamo and Longo Borghini for Lidl-Trek and the loners Georgi, Persico and Pieterse. The dream flight did not last long.
This way everything could start again on the steepest side of the Kemmel. Once again it was Kopecky who whipped the pedals. This time only Wiebes and Georgi were able to get on board. Five riders, with outgoing winner Reusser as the third pawn for SD Worx, joined a little later, after which the understanding was completely lost.
SD Worx gambled by allowing a new realignment. A whole series of stragglers caught up and we rode to Wevelgem with an extensive peloton, at times at a tourist pace. Only Movistar tried to disrupt order with a few injections.
Brown had a gap under the rag, but it still became a bunch sprint. Kopecky masterfully paved the way for Wiebes. The Dutch just held off the emerging Balsamo, on the inside, and made it with an appropriate jump.
2024-03-24 17:01:15
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