Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) won the Elite women’s road race at the European Cycling Championships on Saturday after 160 kilometers of relatively calm racing. Wiebes easily took the bunch sprint ahead of Elisa Balsamo (Italy) who was second, and Daria Pikulik (Poland) who rounded out the podium in third.
The race was uneventful for the most part, with very few teams appearing to have a strategy to deal with the flat course or the stronger and more dominant teams. It was as if there were an implied agreement from the start that it would come down to a sprint in the end. Most of the efforts made by the few riders who tried to get away seemed half-hearted and lacked coordinated support from teams. The imbalance in team size didn’t help either. With the Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, and Poland all fielding 8 riders, smaller teams couldn’t be expected to be as effective. Still, one would think that the teams lacking a superstar sprinter would have made more of an effort and could have “put on a good show” at the very least.
The only real excitement came in the last kilometers as the sprint trains organized themselves and then began to implode in the final kilometer.
Lorena Wiebes got caught out and lost her teammates in the final 500 meters. “It was very chaotic,” she explained. “I ended up losing the train. Luckily I found the Italian train and started early. I felt like I had to start early to win. It’s very special to wear this jersey now. It’s always nice to have a special jersey.”
Teammate Karlijn Swinkels explained what happened to the Dutch sprint train. “We got a bit boxed in and were suddenly a bit further back. We went full throttle forward and then dropped her off at Italy. This was the best thing in the end, to follow Italy.”
Silver medalist Balsamo tried her best but had to admit that Wiebes was just faster. “I’m a bit disappointed. It was a great day, because we rode a good race. My teammates did a great job, so I want to thank them. Today Lorena was simply stronger. I did my best, but it wasn’t enough.”
For bronze medalist Pikulik, it was her first podium success at such a high level on the road. “My first podium at the European Championships road [she has 6 from the track] feels really good,” she said. “We had prepared for a sprint. Maybe we were a bit too late. Luckily we found our way and I was able to sprint. Maybe not full throttle, but this is still my first medal on the road. It was not enough for the win, but I am proud.”
Much like the U23 Belgian women, the Elite Belgian women were unsuccessful and unable to crack the top ten. Marthe Truyen was the best placed of the team in 14th and explained afterwards how difficult it was to break the dominance of the Dutch. “The Netherlands controlled everything. You already felt then that no one would get away. That was really unachievable. We did try. We wanted to get noticed. Everyone tried at some point, but we were not given any freedom of movement.”
Teammate Margot Vanpachtenbeke agreed with Truyen that the Dutch team was just too strong for them. “I think we certainly tried. But the Dutch were always immediately on the wheel. It was very difficult to avoid a bunch sprint. The Netherlands is a strong block. In the final the speed was too high that it was impossible to try anything. We also lost each other a bit there. We are riding together for the first time, which is not easy either.”
The absence of team leader Lotte Kopecky left the Belgians in a vulnerable position and showed how much they rely on their superstar to bring home their palmares. Hopefully, Kopecky won’t disappoint them at the World Championships in two weeks.
RESULTS
European Championships Elite Women (162km)
1.Lorena Wiebes (NLD)
2.Elisa Balsamo (ITA)
3.Daria Pikulik (POL)
4.Clara Copponi (FRA)
5.Ingvild Gaskjenn (NOR)
6.Kathrin Schweinberger (AUT)
7.Emma Cecilie Norsgaard Bjerg (DEN)
8.Kata Blanka Vas (HUN)
9.Rasa Leleivyt (LTU)
10.Christine Majerus (LUX)