Marlen Reusser solos to first classic victory
The Swiss Marlen Reusser began her solo towards Wevelgem 40 km from the finish line. More than two minutes behind the winner, Jastrab narrowly beat Van der Duin to second place.
The 12th edition of Gent-Wevelgem for women got under way at 1:50 p.m. The rain led to a real battle of attrition even in the first hours of the race. One rider after the other left the race. Dutch rider Pien Limpens (Parkhotel Valkenburg) coloured the race start and rode to a lead of just under two minutes, but she was caught up again before De Moeren.
On the way to the hill zone, with just over 40 km to go, the peloton was shaken by a big crash, with some of the favourites involved. Bastianelli had to chase and Niewiadoma also had work to do. On the Baneberg, it was Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx) who accelerated away. The Swiss rider quickly built on her lead and started the second climb of the Kemmelberg with an advantage of 30 seconds.
It was the start of an impressive solo. Her lead rapidly grew to more than two minutes. In the chasing group, her teammates at SD Worx played the perfect team game. With about 15 km to go, Bossuyt brought about a shake up in the chasing group. She was joined by Majerus (Team SD Worx), Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), Bujak (UAE Team ADQ), Georgi (Team DSM), Van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) & Barker (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team). Not much later Jastrab (Team DSM) and Roseman-Gannon (Team Jayclo Alula) joined them.
Reusser’s victory was no longer in jeopardy. The Swiss rode solo to her first classic victory in Flanders. In the sprint for second place, it was Jastrab who made it ahead of Van der Duin.
