Always in control of the day and taking command of the peloton, Team DSM’s Women’s programme stormed to their sixth victory of the season at Dwars door de Westhoek this evening, after producing a brilliant lead out to set up Lorena Wiebes for the sprint finish.
Rolling out from the start line in Boezinge the bunch would face the proverbial race of two halves, with a hillier opening part to the day before laps of an almost pancake flat 12 kilometre finish circuit. It was a nervous start to the day and there were a few crashes in the bunch, before a six rider breakaway group managed to get clear. Building up a maximum advantage of one minute and 30 seconds, the team take on the onus and started to chase at the front of the bunch.
As the kilometres ticked by, other teams came to help and with ten kilometres to go their gap had fallen to just ten seconds; setting up a fast finale. The team worked expertly together to keep designated sprinter Lorena Wiebes safe, bringing her forward and into a good position for the fast blast to the line. Peeling off one by one, the team produced a brilliant lead out in what was a hectic finale, before Wiebes crowned off the team’s great work with an impeccable sprint to the line, powering across the finish and raising her arm aloft in victory.
“When the break went we kept it well under control with Franzi and Esmée,” smiled Wiebes at the finish. “The gap to the break was closed in the last ten kilometres and we did well, keeping the pace high. The final three kilometres were pretty chaotic and we lost each other a little bit but Pfeiffer, Susanne and me were able to stay together. They put me in the perfect position before the cobbles started and I was able to do my sprint exactly as I wanted. Once again it was a really strong team effort and I’m super happy to get the win for the girls.”
Team DSM coach Albert Timmer added: “It was a nice day for us today; we did a lot of things right out there. It was a pretty hectic final but we solved the problems in a really good and smart way. I think the way we rode today was really controlled and the plan we started out with, we stuck with until the finish line. We can be proud of how we rode and are really happy to finish it off with another win for us by Lorena.”
RESULTS
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WIEBES Lorena | Team DSM | 2:49:32 | 125 |
| 2 | D’HOORE Jolien | SD Worx | ,, | 85 |
| 3 | GUARISCHI Barbara | Movistar Team | ,, | 70 |
Photo Credit: Cor Vos