Lorena Wiebes ready for Olympic challenge in Paris

Lorena Wiebes 2024 Baloise Ladies Tour Stage 3 Sprint (Getty)

Lorena Wiebes has landed in Paris, set to lead the Dutch team in the women’s road race at the Olympic Games on 4th August. Known as the fastest sprinter in womenโ€™s road cycling, Wiebes has also become a formidable climber, making her a favourite for the gold medal. Despite the high stakes, she remains calm.

โ€œIโ€™m really looking forward to it. I donโ€™t really feel the tension yet, but that will come in the coming days. Maybe when we have had the last team meetings, or when the men have ridden their road race. Then you can taste the Olympic Games a lot more,” Wiebes shared in an interview with Wielerflits.

Reflecting on her journey, Wiebes mentioned her childhood in gymnastics and her admiration for Olympic gymnasts like Simone Biles. โ€œI have always followed the Olympic Games, but I was not really involved in them. Now that I have been selected for the summer Games myself, I have started to delve a bit deeper into it. Then you start to look at more sports. In the past, I was mainly interested in gymnastics. I still look at it with admiration. That is because I did acrobatic gymnastics myself as a child. I just think it is beautiful to watch. The explosiveness that those girls have is amazing. Especially now with Simone Biles, I can really enjoy it,โ€ she said.

Wiebes has been eyeing the Paris Olympics since 2020, but it was the announcement of the women’s road race route last year that solidified her goal. The race spans 158 kilometres with 1,700 metres of climbing and nine named ascents, using the same run-out and finishing circuits as the men’s race, with only one lap outside the city centre through the Vallรฉe de Chevreuse. The final will be contested over two laps of 18.4km, including the Cรดte de la butte Montmartre, before a flat finish along the Seine.

Lorena Wiebes at the 2024 Ford RideLondon Classique
Lorena Wiebes at the 2024 Ford RideLondon Classique

โ€œWhen the course was presented last autumn, it immediately appealed to me. I like a finale with laps through the city,โ€ she said. โ€œI immediately had the feeling about the climb at Montmartre that this is a place where the race can be decided. It is a fairly short climb. Actually, all the climbs in the loop are not very difficult. I should normally be able to handle them. After the reconnaissance of the course, I did gain confidence in it, and from then on, I worked even more towards this race.โ€

The Dutch team, managed by national coach Loes Gunnewijk, includes other top cyclists like Tour de France winner Demi Vollering, former multi-time world champion Marianne Vos, and three-time time trial world champion Ellen van Dijk. Wiebes is the designated team leader, but the Dutch squad is versatile enough to adapt mid-race if needed. “It is now standard practice that the national coach presents us with our role and that we can think about whether or not we want it. Of course, I didn’t need any time to think about it,” Wiebes told Wielerflits. “In the same telephone conversation, I indicated that I was up for it. Of course, it became more of a priority from that moment on. Although I do try to work towards it as normally as possible.โ€

Wiebes is no stranger to leadership pressures, often sharing the role with Belgiumโ€™s Lotte Kopecky in their SD Worx-Protime team. Wiebes and Kopecky have secured numerous victories together, but in Paris, they will be rivals, racing for their respective national teams. Wiebes sees Kopecky, along with Italian stars like Elisa Balsamo and recent Giro d’Italia Women winner Elisa Longo Borghini, as her main competitors.

“My goal is to hang on to it as long as possible. I see Lotte as one of the main competitors in that, especially because the course is somewhat reminiscent of the street circuit of the World Championship in Glasgow, with twists and turns, where she won the world title last year,” Wiebes noted. “The Italian block is also very strong. The competition is quite big anyway. Everything just has to fall into place on Sunday. I may have the perfect preparation now, but a lot can still go wrong.โ€

Wiebes acknowledges the need for multiple strategies. โ€œYou canโ€™t just have a plan A. We have to have multiple plans. For me, it has to be a perfect race that ends in a sprint. But along the way, anything can go wrong. So much can happen. That’s why it’s great that we have several girls with Demi and Marianne who can finish the match. We can play multiple trump cards, and we have only one main goal: Winning gold with the Netherlands.โ€