Lorena Wiebes powers to win at GP Oetingen

Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) powered to victory at the 2022 GP Oetingen, in Gooik, Belgium.

Wiebes held Chiara Consonni (Valcar Travel & Service) and Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling) who were the next best in a big bunch dash for the line that saw the top 21 riders earn the same time.

“We did a really good race as a team. Francesca [Barale] and Esmée [Peperkamp] did a lot of the positioning work earlier and they were both super strong at that. We really had things under control all day,” said Wiebes.

“Pfeiffer [Georgi] followed the dangerous attacks and on the last lap, we stayed together with the three of us and Pfeiffer controlled the moves on the climb.

We kept things together and then did a lead out which was really strong. It was also the first time doing a full lead out with Charlotte [Kool] and that went really well. I think we can be really proud of ourselves, we did a great race today and I’m looking forward to the next races with the team.”

This is the German-based squad’s first win of the 2022 season.

At the finale of the eight laps on a route that featured a 500m climb at 6.5 percent grade to Bergstraat almost immediately followed by a second punch up to Oetingen. Each lap also featured a cobbled section.

Wiebes’ teammates kept the race under control, as much as possible, until Barale crashed. She ultimately remounted her bike and made it back into the main bunch inside of 30km to go.

In the final hour of racing, repeated solo attacks went off the front, but nothing stuck.

On the bell lap, Wiebes’ teammates covered other teams’ attempts to steal away, while the 22-year-old Dutchwoman sat in her leadout, before launching her winning sprint.

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2022 GP Oetingen Results

1. Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM), 3:30:19
2. Chiara Consonni (Valcar-Travel & Service), at s.t.
3. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling), at s.t.