Elisa Balsamo makes it a Lidl-Trek 1-2-3 at Gent-Wevelgem today as she takes second in the bunch sprint at the end of the women's race.
The women’s race started at a high pace, with a hectic opening phase. In De Moeren, several teams, including Lidl-Trek, attempted to force echelons, but no one managed to split the group decisively. While small gaps briefly formed, the race ultimately stayed together. The tempo remained high on the approach to the first ascent of the Kemmelberg, where Anna Henderson, Lucinda Brand, and Elisa Balsamo crested the climb in the front group. During the hilly section, multiple Lidl-Trek riders launched attacks, and eventually, Lucinda Brand managed to break away in a small group. However, on the penultimate climb of the day, they were reeled back in by the peloton.
On the final ascent of the Kemmelberg, a group of five riders broke clear, but on the road to Wevelgem, a strong Anna Henderson and Ellen van Dijk managed to close the gap, with Elisa Balsamo well-positioned for the sprint. A hesitation in the final kilometers allowed the peloton to regroup, setting the stage for a bunch sprint. In the final meters, Lorena Wiebes crossed the line first, just ahead of Elisa Balsamo and Charlotte Kool. In that way Elisa Balsamo made it a Lidl-Trek 1-2-3 at Gent-Wevelgem, after the first and third places of Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan in the earlier men’s race.
Elisa Balsamo
Yes, in this finish she’s really strong. She’s the strongest but I’m satisfied with my sprint. Of course, we are always racing to win but a podium in an important race like this is a good result. I wasn’t surprised she went from far, I know she’s really strong so she can do a long sprint and I just tried to do the best sprint that I could but it just was not enough.
As a team, we were really aggressive and we were trying to do echelons but there wasn’t enough wind. Again, I want to say a big thank you to my teammates. They always do a great job and believe in me. I hope that one day I can win here for them. I race again on Wednesday so, for sure, I will try again.
