After she finished the spring classic campaign with a podium spot in the Scheldeprijs, Rachele Barbieri was on the podium again in the GP Eco-Struct today.
The third edition of the GP Eco-Struct went over five laps of 21,6 km each and ended with four times a local lap of 7,1 km. On the flat course the peloton stayed together for a long time. A group of 9 riders with Valerie Demey managed to get a small gap, but was reeled in quickly again. A lone escapee animated a big part of the race, but the peloton kept her in sight and caught her in the final kilometres.
A bunch sprint was inevitable. In that sprint Rachele Barbieri showed her fast legs again. She was well positioned in the last straight line to the finish behind the Team DSM tandem Lorena Wiebes and Charlotte Kool. After a thrilling sprint Barbieri took the second place behind Kool. “I am very happy with another podium spot. Of course I am a little disappointed to miss out on the victory, but I couldn`t do better than this. I was feeling good on the bike all day, so it is a nice way to start back on the road after my track races. It also gives confidence for the next races, I can`t wait to race again next week”, Barbieri told after the podium ceremony.
