The fourth round of the UCI Women’s WorldTour took the women’s peloton to Belgium on Easter Sunday. Gent Wevelgem served up cobbles, climbs and crosswinds over the 115-kilometre spring classic.
Chantal Blaak (Boels Dolmans Cycling Team) soloed to victory in Wevelgem to assume the lead in the UCI Women’s WorldTour. Inside the final ten kilometres, the 26-year-old slipped away from a leading group that had taken shape in the crosswinds. Blaak opened up her gap and never looked back. She reached the finish line 1:24 ahead of a seven-rider chase group. Lisa Brennauer (Canyon SRAM Racing) edged out Lucinda Brand (Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team) in the small group sprint for second place.
Blaak’s victory on Sunday is a continuation of her stellar spring. The Dutchwoman finished second to teammate Lizzie Armitstead in the European season opener, Omloop Het Niewsblad, and won Le Samyn and Ronde van Drenthe, the second round of the UCI Women’s WorldTour. Blaak’s win also marks four straight victories for Boels Dolmans Cycling Team at the UCI Women's WorldTour. It’s four rounds of racing done, and the Dutch-registered squad has won them all.
With 258 points, Blaak has a ten-point lead over Armistead in the UCI Women’s WorldTour rankings. Wiggle High5’s Emma Johansson remains third overall with 185 points.
Floortje Mackaij (Team Liv-Plantur) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team) have traded the youth classification jersey back and forth. Niewiadoma was the first-wearer of the colorful blue jersey following Strade Bianche. Mackaij jumped to the top of the rankings following Ronde van Drenthe. Niewiadoma took the jersey back at Trofeo Binda. Even if she did not race this weekend, Niewiadoma keeps the youth classification lead. The duo both have 12 points. Alexis Ryan (Canyon SRAM Racing) sits in third overall with six points.
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With four rounds of racing done, the UCI Women’s WorldTour has covered 408.3 kilometres.
Ronde van Vlaanderen > April 3rd
Last year’s results – 2015 Ronde van Vlaanderen
1. Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) 2. Jolien d’Hoore (BEL) 3. Anna van der Breggen (NED)
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Where to watch?
Watch the race starting at 13.45 until 15.20 on the following TV channels: - Sporza 2 - France 3 - NOS
Live broadcast available on proximustv.be with English commentary (not geoblocked) Live broadcast available on sporza.be with Dutch commentary (geoblocked) Live broadcast available on rtbf.be with French commentary (geoblocked)
Ronde van Vlaanderen
The UCI Women’s WorldTour remains in Belgium for the fifth round of the series. Ronde van Vlaanderen is the pinnacle of the cobbled classics. As UCI World Champion Lizzie Armitstead said recently: “There are no official ‘Monuments’ for women but surely if there were, Ronde van Vlaanderen would be one.” The men’s race celebrates its 100 edition while the women’s race, run on the same day and same roads as the men’s, is now in its 13th year.
Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5) soloed to victory in Oudenaarde last year. She attacked just beyond the Kanarieberg, 36 kilometres from the finish, and held off a nine-rider chase group all the way to the line. Jolien d’Hoore (Wiggle High5) led the chasers home ahead of Anna van der Breggen (Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team), who rounded out the podium.
The 2016 edition of the Belgian race serves up 10 classified climbs and five categorised cobble sectors over 141.2 kilometres. The climbs begin with the Wolvenberg at 46.1 kilometres. The final two climbs, the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg, come in quick succession at the 124.5-kilometre mark and the 127.9-kilometre mark. The cobble sectors – Ruiterstraat, Kerkgate, Jagerij, Paddestraat and Haaghoek - are grouped together between the first and third climbs.
Jolien d’Hoore
Belgian road champion Jolien d’Hoore (Wiggle High5) made her mark on the road last year with 13 UCI victories and her third Belgian national road title. Her wins included two World Cups (Ronde van Drenthe and Open de Suede Vargarda), three stages and the overall at BeNe Ladies Tour, and stages at the Aviva Women’s Tour, Energiewacht Tour and Boels Rental Ladies Tour.
The 26-year-old from Gent began cycling 14 years ago. A member of her athletics club made the switch from athletics to cycling, and d’Hoore decided to do the same. She attended a few bike races as a spectator before applying for a race license – and just like that she had become a cyclist.
Her development was swift. As a junior, d’Hoore collected several elite national titles before becoming UCI Junior Road World Champion in South Africa in 2008. She turned professional the following year with Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridely. She called the team home for four years before making the switch to Lotto-Belisol Ladies Team in 2013.
A professional on the road, d’Hoore remains deeply committed to the track as well. She finished in fifth place at the Omnium at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and won her first Belgium national road title that same year.
Following two years with Lotto-Belisol Ladies, d’Hoore signed with Wiggle High5 (then Wiggle Honda). The British squad has been supportive in developing the Belgian champion’s ambitions on the track while nurturing her talent on the road. Sixth in the omnium at the 2016 UCI Track World Championships in London in early March, d’Hoore main aim for the year is to improve on this result at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio come August.
Key results
1st – Ronde van Drenthe (2015) 1st – Open de Suede Vargarda (2015) 1st – Diamond Tour (2014, 2015) 1st – Belgian National Road Championships (2012, 2014, 2015) 1st – BeNe Ladies Tour – multiple stages in 2014, 2015; overall in 2015 1st – Aviva Women’s Tour – stage 2 (2015) 1st – Boels Rental Ladies Tour – stages 1,2 (2015) 1st – Diamond Tour (2015) 1st – Omloop van het Hageland (2015) 2nd – La Course by Le Tour de France (2015) 2nd – Ronde van Vlaanderen (2015)
On the 28th of March we are 129 days from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
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