MIJDRECHT – Lorena Wiebes finished second in the Belgian race Classic Brugge – De Panne. Elisa Balsamo from Italy just stayed out of the hands of the Mijdrechtse rider in a sprint of a large group.
The Trek-Segafredo world champion was the fastest in the sprint after 163 kilometers, ahead of Wiebes and Italy’s Marta Bastianelli. Balsamo also won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in his own country on Sunday. She leads comfortably in the WorldTour standings.
She is not a world champion for nothing
In the full final, a large number of riders crashed about 15 kilometers before the finish. The sprinter teams, who had controlled the race until then, had to reorganise, but the favorites were all with them when the streets of De Panne were reached again. Wiebes lost her teammate Charlotte Kool in the final kilometer due to a fall and just fell short against Balsamo, who booked her third victory of the year. A week and a half ago, Wiebes was too quick for her in the Ronde van Drenthe.
Balsamo thought he would work for her Australian teammate Chloé Hosking in the final kilometers, but she also lost position due to a fall. “I learned from her that I had to go for my own chance,” said the winner, who had not had much support anymore. “I had to look for the best position. I’m very happy that I succeeded. Winning in the rainbow jersey is so beautiful. I will enjoy this jersey until the last day,” she said.
Wiebes can live with second place
Wiebes could accept the ‘defeat’. “She’s a world champion for a reason, isn’t she,” she said about Balsamo on TV channel Sporza. The young Dutchman of Team DSM turned out to have suffered damage to her bicycle in the massive crash. “A spoke was broken, but there was no time to change bikes. I was happy to be back in the front. It’s a shame I lost Charlotte too. I got caught in the wind a little too early.”