Lorena Wiebes adds Gent-Wevelgem after win in millimeter sprint against Elisa Balsamo

Lorena Wiebes adds Gent-Wevelgem after win in millimeter sprint against Elisa Balsamo

"Super that I can tick off Gent-Wevelgem"

24/03/2024

Lorena Wiebes has won the Ghent-Wevelgem classic after a strong race. Team SD Worx-Protime was attentive at the front all day. Lotte Kopecky accelerated on the Baneberg and the Kemmelberg, but in the end it would be a sprint for the win. In it, the world champion pulled the sprint ahead of Lorena Wiebes, who eventually proved fastest ahead of Elisa Balsamo. "I started maybe from a little too far, but I'm happy to still take the win. I've been hoping to win Gent-Wevelgem for several years and finally I succeeded."
 

Linked race Gent-Wevelgem 2024 - Linked cyclists Lorena Wiebes - Gekoppelde ploegleiders: Lars Boom

After the win in Gent-Wevelgem, winner Lorena Wiebes stepped onto the stage to celebrate her victory with Average Rob during his DJ session. Wiebes: "I didn't dare to cheer at the finish. I had a slight feeling that I won, but I wasn't 100 percent sure. That moment while waiting for the redeeming news is really nervous. It was nice that I could still celebrate with the fans afterwards in such a fun and special way."

"Lotte Kopecky pulled the sprint perfectly for me. I have a lot of confidence in her as a lead-out. I myself started maybe just too early. I felt someone setting up, so I still tried to accelerate a bit. The last time it was so close and I had to wait for the redemption was also with Elisa Balsamo at the European Championships in Munich. Such duels are not only good for the sport, it's also why you push yourself at training. After all, you don't want anyone to beat you. Also with a view to being selected for the Olympics, I try to lose as few sprints as possible."

"I am happy that my shoulder has recovered well after the heavy crash in Nokere Koerse where I dislocated it. Despite a few days of rest, I don't have much loss of form. I am super satisfied that I can add Gent-Wevelgem to my palmares, also thanks to the great preparatory work of my teammates. In this team it's give and take. If I can support Lotte in her big goals the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, I'm happy to do so. My goal is to stay there in the Tour of Flanders as long as possible, so I can be an asset to my team."

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