Annemiek van Vleuten once again proved that Nederland Bloeit is about more than just Marianne Vos by winning the Ronde van Vlaanderen for women. The Dutchwoman outsprinted Russian champion Tatiana Antoshina (Gauss) after the pair of them escaped a group, containing most of the race favourites, with just 2km to go. Van Vleuten’s Nederland Bloeit teammate Vos won the sprint for third at the end of the 130km race between Oudenaarde and Meerbeke.
“It was great!” van Vleuten told VeloNation. “I think as a team we did a real great job, to have one in the front and then we had the easy job in the bunch.
“There was not a moment for looking [at Vos in the group] because with two-k from the finish they took back my teammate [Sarah Düster] and then at that moment Antoshina went away.”
It began last season, but van Vleuten then hinted that this may well be the first of many devastating results from the Dutch Nederland Bloeit double act.
“I went away and Marianne didn’t,” she said. “Marianne is strong in the sprint and for me there are the attacks!”
The peloton stayed more or less together over the first part of the race; with the climbs of the Rekelberg, Oude Kwaremont and Kortekeer having an attritional effect on the rear of the peloton, rather than the front.
On the fourth climb of the day though, the Eikenberg, at the race’s mid point, British champion Emma Pooley (Garmin-Cervélo) attacked. Clad in the World Cup leader’s jersey, and despite professing a hatred for cobbled races, Pooley managed to open up a healthy gap by the top of the climb.
“I’m quite proud of that,” Pooley laughed to VeloNation at the finish, “on cobbles and everything! It didn’t stick unfortunately.
It makes me upset,” she joked, “because they let some go but they don’t let me go any more! We wanted to be aggressive; even if it didn’t stick, it whittles the group down and it’s good for a team like us to have strong riders; and it’s such a sh** fight if there’s a big group going through those cobbled sections. But then nothing much happened for a while.”
The attack didn’t stick though, but the resultant chase had an even mre devastating effect on the peloton as yet more riders found themselves dropped.
With just over 50km to go Sarah Düster (Nederland Bloeit) attacked alone, with the intention of reaching the Molenberg, where last year’s race blew apart, in front of the race.
“I attacked [with] 50-ks [to go] from the group,” she told VeloNation. “I was by myself and then Ludivine Henrion came from behind and then we worked together until the Muur and then I was alone.”
Düster was quickly joined by former Belgian champion Ludovine Henrion (Lotto Honda) and the two of them worked together to stay away from the rest of the ever-shrinking front group.
“I thought there were two girls, or three girls on the front, but it was nobody,” Henrion told VeloNation. “So I thought if some girls are in the front then the best ones attack on the Molenberg so I attack before so I have an advantage and maybe I’m still with the best ones on the top.
“But when I came up to Sarah Düster she told me that there was nobody on the front, so I was surprised. But if you don’t try you get nothing; I know that if I do nothing I’m never with the front group.”
When Düster and Henrion arrived at the foot of the Muur-Kapelmuur they both accelerated, but Henrion was unable to go with the German’s pace. Düster continued alone over the Bosberg but the front group, which was now down to 10 riders, was gaining steadily.
With just 2km to go Düster was finally caught, and the front of the race now consisted of 12 riders. Van Vleuten, Düster and Vos held the numerical superiority, but Pooley was still present with Garmin-Cervélo teammate Noemi Cantele. The rest of the group was made up of single riders, namely: Henrion, Antoshina, Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-UCK), defending champion Grace Verbeke (Topsport Vlaanderen 2012-Ridley), Joelle Numainville (Tibco-To the Top), 2008 winner Judith Arndt (HTC-Highroad) and Olga Zabelinskaya (Diadora-Pasta Zara).
Not wanting to wait for the sprint, Antoshina made a break for immediately, and was immediately followed by van Vleuten. Together they opened up a winning margin and, with Vos and Düster in the group behind, there was no one willing or able to give chase.
As they approached the finish the two riders opened up their sprints and the Russian champion was no match for the powerful Dutchwoman. Ten seconds later the chase group arrived and Vos outsprinted Johansson and Arndt in what will hopefully be the first of many battles this season.
Having finished third in last weekend’s Trofeo Alfredo Binda, van Vleuten takes over the lead in the World Cup from Pooley, who finished in the chase group.
Ronde van Vlaanderen for women result:
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
2. Tatiana Antoshina (Rus) Gauss
3. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
4. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-UCK
5. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC-Highroad
6. Joelle Numainville (Can) Tibco-To the Top
7. Grace Verbeke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen 2012-Ridley
8. Ludvine Henrion (Bel) Lotto Honda Team
9. Noemi Cantele (Ita) Garmin-Cervélo
10. Emma Pooley (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo