Lorena Wiebes experienced a violent emotional lift this Sunday afternoon at the finish of the Amstel Gold Race. With her arms raised in the photo finish, the Dutchwoman was nevertheless ahead of her compatriot Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a bike), who tumbled to her left, forgotten by the SD Worx sprinter, in tears after realizing her mistake.
“I didn’t see it coming, it’s a stupid mistake that you only make once,” Wiebes said, once the tears had dried. This has never happened to me before and I hope this is the last time. » Especially since his team had done all the necessary work. In a race neutralized for an hour then shortened (from 158 to around 100 km) due to an accident injuring a police officer, the SD Worx almost got trapped by the breakaway of Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon//SRAM Racing) , Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Eva Van Agt (Visma-Lease a bike), left 35 km from the line. But this resistant trio was cruelly swallowed up in the Cauberg, 2 km from the line, where Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) tried, without success, to break away.
“I felt sorry for her (Wiebes). You feel so bad when it happens, I hope she gets over it.”
Marianne Vos on Lorena Wiebes
After the switch, last year’s winner, Demi Vollering, was able to take Wiebes into a wheelchair in the sprint, where the plan was to be completed perfectly without the cunning and tenacity of Vos, who never relaxed her sprint. “I knew it would be a headwind, we both tried to go left, Lorena came out suddenly, I was next to her, and I didn’t think I would catch up with her,” explained Vos. . When she started celebrating I saw I had more speed, I still didn’t think I could win but I did. It almost happened to me in 2021. » At the time, Vollering had almost returned while the world champion in 2006, 2012, and 2013, raised her arms.
“I felt sorry for her (Wiebes),” Vos admitted. You feel so bad when it happens, I hope she gets over it, I know she will come back to win. » “I was really disappointed because the girls did a lot of work to allow me to sprint,” explained the unfortunate loser. I understood almost directly after crossing the line. The Amstel will remain a big goal, it was so close, I’m keeping it in mind for next year. » The Norwegian Ingvild Gaskjenn, from the Liv-AlUla-Jayco team, completes the podium.
