As one among two Ladies’s WorldTour races on dwelling soil, the Ronde van Drenthe was an necessary occasion for Workforce Jumbo-Visma – however with out Marianne Vos and Anna Henderson within the line-up, the crew needed to alter its techniques. Placing riders in each transfer, the Dutch squad ended up with plenty of TV time and a ninth place within the remaining dash.
Within the first half of the race, Romy Kasper stayed close to the entrance of the peloton all through the six cobblestone sectors and took sufficient factors within the sprints on the finish of the sectors to earn herself a visit to the rostrum as the general winner of the ‘keienprijs’.
Teuntje Beekhuis was the subsequent to characteristic, happening the assault with Liv Racing Xstra’s Marta Jaskulska and driving off the entrance for nearly twenty kilometres, together with the second of 4 ascents of the VAM-berg. After Beekhuis and Jaskulska had been caught, Kasper featured in a bunch of 4 that received away shortly after the third time up VAM-berg however was reeled in after just a few minutes.
Jip van den Bos instantly counterattacked, and her assault initiated a flurry of strikes that coalesced right into a breakaway of 5 riders. They received some surprising free time when the group that chased them was led the mistaken means in a roundabout, rising their benefit to nearly half a minute, however the livid chase by Trek-Segafredo and Canyon-SRAM meant that Van den Bos and her companions have been caught earlier than the ultimate ascent of the VAM-berg.
It was Riejanne Markus who tried to power a variety on the brief, steep slopes of the landscaped landfill web site, splitting the peloton into a number of teams, however with no teammates within the entrance group and Pfeiffer Georgi (Workforce DSM) chasing onerous to get her sprinter, the eventual winner Lorena Wiebes, again into rivalry, this transfer additionally got here to nought.
Lastly, it was the flip of Anouska Koster. The 28-year-old from Fryslân, the province northwest of Drenthe, is aware of the roads of the Ronde van Drenthe nicely and positioned third within the 2020 Dutch championships held with the end atop the VAM-berg.
11 kilometres from the road, Koster adopted an assault by Nina Buijsman (Human Powered Well being) that led to a entrance group of 4 riders who fought onerous in opposition to the sprinters’ groups on the run-in to the end in Hoogeveen. Coming into the ending city and with the diminished peloton solely seconds behind, Koster attacked with 4 kilometres to go, attempting to go solo.
Sarah Roy (Canyon-SRAM), the strongest sprinter within the breakaway, closed the transfer down, however Koster tried once more with 1500 metres left to race. Roy was on her wheel once more, however Koster persevered and, by no means wanting again, rode the Australian off of her wheel, inflicting the opposite three escapees to surrender. Koster saved happening the ultimate kilometre, however the peloton was too robust, swallowing her with 500 metres to go. In the long run, Van den Bos sprinted to ninth place to safe a top-ten consequence for the crew.
“We rode a superb race as a crew. The steadiness is optimistic, and it is a good beginning place for the approaching weeks,” stated sports activities director Carmen Small after the race, already wanting ahead to the races to return. The following Ladies’s WorldTour race is the Trofeo Binda the place Vos will probably be again in motion – and the place she might change into the primary rider to win the Italian basic for a fifth time.
