Lorena Wiebes continues fine form with Gent-Wevelgem victory for 100th career win
Updated 30/03/2025 at 22:55 GMT+1
With the help of her SD Worx-Protime team-mate Lotte Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes took her 100th professional career victory at Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders on Sunday, continuing her fine early season form. Kopecky led out her Dutch team-mate in the final kilometre, helping to stave off attacks by Lidl-Trek and Picnic PostNL to take her third win in eight days.
Highlights as Wiebes wins Gent-Wevelgem sprint for 100th career victory
Video credit: TNT Sports
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) proved too strong for her rivals as she took her 100th career win at Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders on Sunday.
The triumph continued Wiebes' superb recent form, having stormed to victory at the Milano-Sanremo last weekend before claiming a midweek victory at Classic Brugge-De Panne.
After late charges by Picnic PostNL and AG Insurance Soudal, Wiebes' team-mate Lotte Kopecky made a stunning effort - leading out Wiebes in the final 500 metres for the Dutch rider to storm to victory.
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) could only follow in the wheel of her rival as she was resigned to a second-placed finish. Meanwhile, Charlotte Kool (Picnic PostNL) snatched third in a congested finish.
The frantic finish in Wevelgem came after 169 kilometres of racing in the Flanders fields in Belgium, with a start-list of 140 riders
The seven categorised climbs – including two ascents from different sides of the notorious Kemmelberg – started midway through the race before a flat and fast final 35 kilometres into the finish.
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An early breakaway of seven riders were given a maximum of four minutes before the crosswind sections heading towards the climbs saw them reeled in, with 78 kilometres of racing remaining.
Tension in the reduced peloton resulted in a host of crashes and heading into the Monteberg a touch of wheels saw Olivia Baril (Movistar), Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) and Maud Rijnbeek (VolkerWessels) all go down.
World champion Kopecky wanted to split the front group and put down a blistering attack on the first ascent of the Kemmelberg to take a group of 10 riders clear.
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‘Generational talent’ – Wiebes reaches 100 career victories in style at Gent-Wevelgem
Video credit: TNT Sports
However, Lidl-Trek had strength in numbers resulting in little collaboration in the front group and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE ADQ) pulled back a larger second group to cancel out the move.
During a flurry of attacks in the crosswinds, junior world champion Cat Ferguson (Movistar) crashed heavily following a touch of wheels, ending her hopes.
Eventually, a breakaway of six riders formed consisting of Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx), Alexandra Manly (AG Insurance-Soudal), Marta Jaskulska (Ceratizit Pro Cycling), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Jeanne Korevaar (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Anneke Dijkstra (VolkerWessels).
However, with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto and UAE ADQ missing the move, they worked together to pull back the advantage.
Kopecky used the Kemmelberg again to stamp her authority and drew a select group clear including Wiebes, Borghini, Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Giada Borghesi (Human Powered Health) and Letizia Borghesi (EF Education-Oatly).
Lidl-Trek missed the move and with 34 kilometres of flat road remaining they used their power and pulled the race back together.
The pace slowed in the last 30 kilometres resulting in a large peloton heading into the finish in Wevelgem.
Human Powered Health and EF Education-Oatly had control of either side of the road heading into the last kilometre.
However, the race craft of Kopecky guided Wiebes to the front and then the world champion led until 300 metres to go, allowing her team-mate a clear run at the finish.
Wiebes was unstoppable as Balsamo was unable to move off her wheel in second and Kool finished third.
Wiebes told TNT Sports: "It's beautiful, we want to enjoy it as much as possible.
"We always want to win as much as possible and that it succeeds, that's so nice."
Wiebes also highlighted the role Kopecky played in her victory. She added: "That was again very important.
"We were able to go on the climbs and on the Kemmelberg. We were ahead with a small group, but as expected no one wanted to work together. And then this, yes, almost a kilometre a lead-out.
"I completely trust Lotte in this. I knew I had Lotte in the final and chose to go with only Lotte, the other girls did an amazing job of pulling before to get the pace high.
"She [Kopecky] went really long with the lead-out. I thought, 'this is very early'. But I know that Lotte is also very strong and she knows how to do this. So that confidence was also there.
"At one point I thought, ‘I’ll start now.’"
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