Lorena Wiebes has dominated the 2024 Baloise Ladies Tour so far, securing victory in the stage 4 individual time trial on Saturday evening. She was the only rider to complete the 11km course in Zwevegem in under 15 minutes, finishing with a time of 14:53. Marion Norbert Riberolle finished second, 15 seconds behind, and Thalita De Jong claimed third, 17 seconds off the pace.
Earlier in the day, Wiebes had already shown her strength by winning the crash marred stage 3 morning road race stage. This double victory extends her lead in the general classification, where she now holds a 38-second advantage over Pfeiffer Georgi, who moved into second place. Georgi’s time trial performance was strong, though she was 23 seconds slower than Wiebes.
Wiebes has been unstoppable this year, winning four out of five stages in the Baloise Ladies Tour. Her total stage wins in this event now stand at ten, making her the record holder. Reflecting on her performance, Wiebes said, “I felt strong throughout the course and I’m thrilled with the results today.”
Charlotte Kool, who had been second overall going into the time trial, struggled and fell out of the top 10, finishing 51 seconds behind Wiebes. This performance saw her drop nine places in the standings.
Thalita De Jong made a significant leap, moving into third overall. De Jong remarked, “I’m happy with my podium finish today. It was a tough course, but I gave it everything.”
The time trial had 106 riders at the start, but 16 did not complete the morning road race due to a large crash in the opening 12km. This incident led to a significant reshuffle in the standings.
Sunday’s final stage will be a flat 116.9km race around Deinze, consisting of seven laps. With her current form, Wiebes is the favourite to clinch overall victory. In preparation for the Paris Olympics, the Baloise Ladies Tour has been an important event. Wiebes, who will be playing a key role in the Dutch team in the Olympic road race on August 4th, has shown excellent form.
2024 Baloise Ladies Tour Stage 4 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
