SD Worx-protime take winning form to Flanders
Will strength in depth deliver the team to their third successive Ronde van Vlaanderen?
No woman has ever won the Tour of Flanders more than twice. On Sunday, Lotte Kopecky will head into the race as the favourite to win, a victory which would bring her a third triumph in a row, and a place in the history books.
On paper, it all seems quite simple. Kopecky is the reigning world champion, the winner of Strade Bianche, and has seemed unbeatable on the course of De Ronde over the last two years. She will bring with her an SD Worx-protime squad stacked full of talent, ready to chase down attacks, set up counterfeints, and generally cause a headache for the other teams.
There’s Demi Vollering, the defending Tour de France champion, who can climb but has a kick too; there’s Lorena Wiebes, the fastest sprinter in the world, who won Ghent-wevelgem on Sunday; there’s Marlen Reusser, one of the best rouleurs in the world, an outside bet for victory herself. Add to this the nous of Christine Majerus and the emerging talent of Mischa Bredewold, the European champion, then it seems quite hard to bet against the Dutch superteam.
Their might was evident at Ghent-wevelgem last Sunday, where Kopecky and Wiebes were repeatedly up the road, in every attack, and then when it came down to a sprint, Wiebes was strongest once again. Majerus looked capable of bringing back every attack on her own, and even an unfortunate mechanical for Reusser did not upset the rhythm. There was no rust in evidence here.
Lidl-trek and the rest
The fight against the powerful SD Worx will come through many different courses, but the most concentrated challenge will likely come from Lidl-trek. The squad’s top sprinter, Elisa Balsamo, has looked in top form in recent weeks, with victories at both the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the Classic Brugge-de Panne. She might have come up just short against Wiebes in Wevelgem, but she will take confidence from being close enough for a photo finish.
Lidl-trek will also bring Elisa Longo Borghini, Lizzie Deignan, Shirin van Anrooij and others to the mix at Flanders, a strong team in itself. However, in order to combat SD Worx, there might have to be a change in tactics to avoid a repeat of the last two editions.
At Ghent-wevelgem, Pfeiffer Georgi was incredibly active for Dsm-firmenich Postnl, and if she can follow Kopecky at the right time on the cobbles, might well have a standout result. Add in Marianne Vos (Visma-lease a Bike) and Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ), and the list of challengers to the SD Worx juggernaut is perhaps bigger than it seems. However, it might take a bad day for Kopecky or Vollering for a chance to show itself.
“It’s hard to bet against the Dutch superteam”