Published April 14, 2021 06:32AM
Ruth Winder snatches photo-finish victory at Brabantse Pijl
Well-timed bike-throw delivers victory for Trek-Segafredo star out of a small breakaway group at the Flemish race.
Ruth Winder took a close victory at Brabantse Pijl (Photo: Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
U.S. champion Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo) snatched a dramatic photo-finish victory over Demi Vollering (SD Worx) at Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday.
Vollering looked like she had won ahead of Winder after coming from a long way back in a six-up sprint, and even celebrated as she crossed the line.
The race jury didn’t agree, and after an official review, awarded the victory to the Trek-Segafredo sprinter, who was shocked to find herself the winner.
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An early celebration
The race came down to a six-rider breakaway, which pulled clear at the start of the final local lap.
Italian sprinter and favorite from the group Elisa Balsamo (Valcar-Travel & Service) opened up the sprint early with about 250m to go. The effort of the race’s 22 climbs had clearly taken a toll, and she faded to third place.
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Winder bided her time, only pouncing with less than 100 meters to the line. Vollering, who was on Balsamo’s wheel, powered around the fading Italian and mounted a serious challenge to Winder’s acceleration.
In the end, it all came down to the dive for the line. Winder blinked first, but it was Vollering who was sure that she had taken the win, throwing her arm up in celebration. She was even congratulated by her teammates.
“I am very disappointed. I had the feeling that I won this sprint. Apparently not. I don’t know if it was the jump, but it is almost impossible to see in the pictures,” Vollering said. “During the race, I thought something was going to happen, so I had to stay at the front. I was glad we could stay away.
It was only when the results flashed up on television screens that it became clear Winder had won her first race since last year’s women’s Santos Tour Down Under.
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“Every climb I set the pace high with the group and tried to set up good cooperation with the other girls. I am glad it worked out.”
Aggressive racing
After several early attacks failed to stick, the pressure from the big teams really ramped up after the halfway point. A dangerous-looking group, which included Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (SD Worx), Coryn Rivera (Team DSM), and Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) jumped clear with 40 kilometers remaining.
It was deemed too dangerous by the teams left behind and the move lasted less than four kilometers.
Each climb presented another opportunity for a break to form, but it wasn’t until the start of the final lap that the winning move was able to go clear. Team BikeExchange and FDJ were among those that missed the split and both teams tried to send riders across the gap to no avail.
The leading six worked well together, building a gap of about a minute as they went into the final kilometer.
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De Brabantse Pijl – La Flèche Brabançonne WE Results
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | EDWARDS Ruth | Trek-Segafredo Women | 3:20:00.000 |
| 2 | VOLLERING Demi | Team SD Worx | 0:00.000 |
| 3 | BALSAMO Elisa | Valcar – Travel & Service | 0:00.000 |
| 4 | THOMAS Leah | Movistar Team | 0:00.000 |
| 5 | LOWDEN Joscelin | Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR. | 0:00.000 |
| 6 | BERTHET Juliette | Team DSM | 0:06.000 |
| 7 | MOOLMAN-PASIO Ashleigh | Team SD Worx | 0:57.000 |
| 8 | FAHLIN Emilia | FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope | 0:57.000 |
| 9 | BRAND Lucinda | Trek-Segafredo Women | 0:57.000 |
| 10 | ROOIJAKKERS Pauliena | Liv Racing | 0:57.000 |
| 11 | WILES Tayler | Trek-Segafredo Women | 0:57.000 |
| 12 | GUAZZINI Vittoria | Valcar – Travel & Service | 0:57.000 |
| 13 | STULTIENS Sabrina | Liv Racing | 0:57.000 |
| 14 | AMIALIUSIK Alena | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 0:57.000 |
| 15 | SIERRA Arlenis | A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team | 0:57.000 |
| 16 | DE JONG Thalita | Bingoal Casino – Chevalmeire Cycling Team | 0:57.000 |
| 17 | STEPHENS Lauren | Team TIBCO – SVB | 0:57.000 |
| 18 | AALERUD Katrine | Movistar Team | 0:57.000 |
| 19 | SANTESTEBAN Ane | Team BikeExchange | 0:57.000 |
| 20 | LUTRO Amalie | Team Coop – Hitec Products | 0:57.000 |
| 21 | BORGHESI Letizia | Aromitalia – Basso Bikes – Vaiano | 0:57.000 |
| 22 | MEERTENS Lone | Lotto Soudal Ladies | 0:57.000 |
| 23 | DEMEY Valerie | Liv Racing | 0:57.000 |
| 24 | MERINO Eider | A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team | 0:57.000 |
| 25 | FISHER-BLACK Niamh | Team SD Worx | 0:57.000 |
| 26 | SHARPE Amelia | NXTG Racing | 0:57.000 |
| 27 | SHACKLEY Anna | Team SD Worx | 0:57.000 |
| 28 | WILLIAMS Georgia | Team BikeExchange | 0:57.000 |
| 29 | HEINE Vita | Massi – Tactic Women Team | 0:57.000 |
| 30 | RAGUSA Katia | A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team | 0:57.000 |
| 31 | BREDEWOLD Mischa | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 0:57.000 |
| 32 | GIGANTE Sarah | Team TIBCO – SVB | 0:57.000 |
| 33 | JASKULSKA Marta | Liv Racing | 0:57.000 |
| 34 | SALAZAR Lizbeth Yareli | A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team | 0:57.000 |
| 35 | ENSING Janneke | Team BikeExchange | 0:57.000 |
| 36 | VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek | Movistar Team | 0:57.000 |
| 37 | VAN ANROOIJ Shirin | Trek-Segafredo Women | 0:57.000 |
| 38 | LABECKI Coryn | Team DSM | 0:57.000 |
| 39 | HANSON Lauretta | Trek-Segafredo Women | 0:57.000 |
| 40 | VAN DEN BROEK-BLAAK Chantal | Team SD Worx | 0:57.000 |
| 41 | BRADBURY Neve | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 0:57.000 |
| 42 | VAN DE VEL Sara | Team Rupelcleaning | 0:57.000 |
| 43 | KERN Špela | Massi – Tactic Women Team | 1:05.000 |
| 44 | KENNEDY Lucy | Team BikeExchange | 1:05.000 |
| 45 | YONAMINE Eri | Team TIBCO – SVB | 1:05.000 |
| 46 | PEPERKAMP Esmée | Team DSM | 1:09.000 |
| 47 | SOTO Catalina Anais | NXTG Racing | 1:11.000 |
| 48 | ERIĆ Jelena | Movistar Team | 1:11.000 |
| 49 | PENTON Sara | Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR. | 1:18.000 |
| 50 | LE NET Marie | FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope | 1:18.000 |
| 51 | DUVAL Eugénie | FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope | 1:23.000 |
| 52 | PLUIMERS Ilse | NXTG Racing | 2:21.000 |
| 53 | KULYNYCH Olha | Doltcini – Van Eyck – Proximus CT | 2:21.000 |
| 54 | HARRIS Ella | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 2:21.000 |
| 55 | SHARPE Alice | Team Rupelcleaning | 2:21.000 |
| 56 | VAN DER HULST Amber | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 2:21.000 |
| 57 | MARKUS Femke | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 2:21.000 |
| 58 | ČEŠULIENĖ Inga | Aromitalia – Basso Bikes – Vaiano | 2:21.000 |
| 59 | KIRCHMANN Leah | Team DSM | 2:21.000 |
| 60 | VAN VELZEN Bryony | Doltcini – Van Eyck – Proximus CT | 2:21.000 |
| 61 | GERRITSE Femke | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 2:21.000 |
| 62 | GASPARRINI Eleonora Camilla | Valcar – Travel & Service | 2:21.000 |
| 63 | TENNIGLO Moniek | Team BikeExchange | 2:21.000 |
| 64 | VAN EYNDE Fien | Doltcini – Van Eyck – Proximus CT | 2:21.000 |
| 65 | NOSKOVÁ Nikola | Team SD Worx | 2:21.000 |
| 66 | MUZIC Évita | FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope | 2:21.000 |
| 67 | HARVEY Mikayla | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 3:08.000 |
| 68 | BORGSTRÖM Julia | NXTG Racing | 3:40.000 |
| 69 | PARKINSON Abby-Mae | Lotto Soudal Ladies | 5:24.000 |
| 70 | POLLICINI Silvia | Valcar – Travel & Service | 5:24.000 |
| 71 | GROSSETÊTE Maëlle | FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope | 7:49.000 |
| 72 | DE WILDE Julie | Belgium | 11:11.000 |
| 73 | COLJÉ Maaike | Massi – Tactic Women Team | 11:11.000 |
| 74 | VAN ‘T GELOOF Marjolein | Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR. | 11:11.000 |
| 75 | VANDENBULCKE Jesse | Lotto Soudal Ladies | 11:11.000 |
| 76 | VANDER SANDE Elise | Lotto Soudal Ladies | 11:11.000 |
| 77 | WATERREUS Kylie | Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 78 | BEX Nathalie | Bingoal Casino – Chevalmeire Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 79 | NOOIJEN Lieke | Parkhotel Valkenburg | 11:11.000 |
| 80 | VAN DER WOLF Rosalie | Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 81 | SPEROTTO Maria Vittoria | A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 82 | DELBAERE Fien | Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 83 | BETZ Svenja | Team Rupelcleaning | 11:11.000 |
| 84 | GHEKIERE Justine | Bingoal Casino – Chevalmeire Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 85 | VAN HOUTUM Céline | Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 86 | LUDWIG Hannah | Canyon//SRAM Racing | 11:11.000 |
| 87 | NEWSOM Emily | Team TIBCO – SVB | 11:11.000 |
| 88 | GUILMAN Victorie | FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope | 11:11.000 |
| 89 | ŽIGART Urška | Team BikeExchange | 11:11.000 |
| 90 | CHRISTIAN Anna | Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR. | 11:11.000 |
| 91 | ANDERSSON Caroline | Team Coop – Hitec Products | 11:11.000 |
| 92 | STEIGENGA Nicole | Doltcini – Van Eyck – Proximus CT | 11:11.000 |
| 93 | ARZUFFI Alice Maria | Valcar – Travel & Service | 11:11.000 |
| 94 | MAGRI Silvia | Valcar – Travel & Service | 11:11.000 |
| 95 | DE SMEDT Marijke | Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team | 11:11.000 |
| 96 | BERTEAU Victoire | Doltcini – Van Eyck – Proximus CT | 11:11.000 |
| 97 | MOBERG Emilie | Drops – Le Col s/b TEMPUR. | 11:11.000 |
| 98 | KESSLER Nina | Team TIBCO – SVB | 11:11.000 |
| 99 | PLICHTA Anna | Lotto Soudal Ladies | 11:11.000 |
| 100 | LELEIVYTĖ Rasa | Aromitalia – Basso Bikes – Vaiano | 11:11.000 |
| 101 | BÄCKSTEDT Elynor | Trek-Segafredo Women | 11:20.000 |
| 102 | SOEK Julia | Team DSM | 11:20.000 |
| 103 | OLAUSSON Wilma | Team DSM | 11:20.000 |
| 104 | DE JONG Demi | Bingoal Casino – Chevalmeire Cycling Team | 11:20.000 |
Results provided by ProCyclingStats.