Highlights
Women
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Men
Report
Women
Ruth Winder thought she was second. So did everyone watching the thrilling finale in Brabantse Pijl. But when the officials viewed the photo finish images, they designated Winder as the official winner of the 6th edition of Brabantse Pijl Dames.
Winder’s bike throw in the sprint from the six-rider breakaway proved to be instrumental in snatching the victory from Demi Vollering (SD Worx), who threw her arm into the air in an early celebration. Vollering had everyone convinced – even Ruth.
But the photo finish images revealed otherwise. By millimeters, Winder claimed the victory. It was that close.
“I am extremely surprised. I thought Demi had it! We were sprinting, and I threw my bike at the line, but she really celebrated, so I thought, ‘congratulations,’” exclaimed Winder. “She’s an amazing bike rider, and just for me to be second, I was really excited with. For me, to win is just…yeah,” Ruth trailed off at a loss for words. “I came to this race really wanting to be my best, and in the end, it played out really well for me. This feels really good. The team has been very good so far, and I have had my best preparations this year that I have ever had. I am really excited that I could do it today.”
It was the first win of the season for Ruth Winder, and the fourth for the Trek-Segafredo Women, who have been firing on all cylinders this year. Once again, the team was cohesive in their effort.
“At the start, we had Lauretta (Hanson), Shirin (Van Anrooij), Lucinda (Brand), and Elynor (Bäckstedt) all watching the front and really making sure that Tayler and I were safe,” said Winder. “It was a really hard circuit with so many short climbs coming back-to-back-to-back on each other.”
When the action kicked off in the latter part of the race, Tayler Wiles and Lucinda Brand quickly covered the initial moves. Ruth waited, then picked the right moment.
“It was really hard coming through the finish with one lap to go, and I saw Annemiek van Vleuten setting up her teammate Leah Thomas. I was keeping an eye on Leah as she’s a fellow American, and I know she’s really strong, so I was on her wheel. They created this breakaway of six really strong riders, and there were enough from the big teams, and we were really working well together right away. Everyone was committed in the breakaway to roll through,” explained Winder.
The six riders grew their advantage over a minute that was never challenged in the final 12 kilometers. But a tough uphill kilometer to the line still had to be navigated. With the expert guidance from a former World Champion sprinter, Winder played the ending perfectly.
“I just had to be super patient in the finish, which was super hard for me; I really wanted to attack them all too soon! Explained Winder. “But I had Giorgia (Bronzini, director) in my ear, and she was saying to be patient, and it worked – by a centimeter!”
Men
Tom Pidcock claimed his first professional road victory in emphatic fashion at De Brabantse Pijl.
The young Brit showed calm and race-craft beyond his years in a thrilling finale in Overijse, timing his sprint to perfection on the uphill ramp to the line and overhauling rival Wout Van Aert.
It had been the Grenadier who twice enlivened the final with a pair of identical attacks on the Hertstraat. His first move helped force a selection on the finishing circuit, before the second helped set up a three-up final shootout.
The win is a continuation of Pidcock’s superb step up to the professional ranks – following a podium at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and a fifth place at Strade Bianche.
Earlier the team had worked hard to peg the gap to the day’s breakaway. Cameron Wurf got through a lot of kilometres on the front, before the team moved up as a unit with 40km to go. Richard Carapaz was the next Grenadier home in 31st after doing some good work following counter-attacks behind.
Tom Pidcock: “Wout was pulling super hard, but maybe too hard in the end. I was getting nervous, they were coming behind, but I waited and waited, Wout went and kind of got a little bit boxed in, then I rushed Wout and came past him.”
Results
Women
| 1 | Ruth Winder (USA) Trek-Segafredo | 3:20:00 |
| 2 | Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx | |
| 3 | Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service | |
| 4 | Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women | |
| 5 | Joscelin Lowden (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur | |
| 6 | Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM | 0:00:06 |
| 7 | Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx | 0:00:57 |
| 8 | Emilia Fahlin (Swe) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope | |
| 9 | Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo | |
| 10 | Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Liv Racing |
Men
| 1 | Thomas Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers | 4:36:27 |
| 2 | Wout Van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma | |
| 3 | Matteo Trentin (Ita) UAE Team Emirates | 0:00:02 |
| 4 | Ide Schelling (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe | 0:00:07 |
| 5 | Toms Skujins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo | |
| 6 | Robert Stannard (Aus) Team BikeExchange | |
| 7 | Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain Victorious | |
| 8 | Benoit Cosnefroy (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team | |
| 9 | Oscar Riesebeek (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix | |
| 10 | Andreas Leknessund (Nor) Team DSM | 0:00:12 |