Silent but deadly Worrack wins Ladies Tour of Qatar

DOHA, Qatar (VN) — Trixi Worrack may be one of the smaller and quieter cyclists in the women’s peloton, but those close to her say that she makes up for that with her tactics and strength. Canyon-SRAM’s German won the Ladies Tour of Qatar overall Friday in Doha. Her keen eye and experience delivered victory in the oil-rich Persian Gulf state after four days of racing.

“As our DS said at the start of this week, ‘Trixi is always in the right breaks.’ I thought, ‘I better stick with Trixi wherever she goes,'” teammate Tiffany Cromwell told VeloNews. “She knows how to get into the moves, but also make moves that count. She gets big results, and for me, she’s a great person to learn from.”

Worrack is not new to the sport. The five-foot-three 36-year-old won the 2015 Tour of California, the 2004 Tour de l’Aude Cycliste Féminin, and a silver medal in the 2006 world championships.

When the race split to pieces in the wind-swept Qatari countryside Thursday, the experienced German made sure she was in the front group with Tiffany Cromwell. Ellen van Dijk (Boels-Dolmans) won the stage, but Worrack took the leader’s golden jersey with enough time to make it impossible to be dislodged today along Doha’s seafront.

“I was teammates with her for three years in a row,” van Dijk said. “She’s a complete bike racer, she can ride echelons, and she has a lot of experience because she has been racing for a long time already. She’s classy. I didn’t win the overall, but it’s good to see her win.”

Within the peloton, Worrack is one of the bosses. Like Cromwell, many younger cyclists look to her for advice and leadership.

“I roomed with her here and I’ve seen how professional and focused she is up close. I have everything to learn from her,” teammate and Italian champion Elena Cecchini said.

“She’s taught me how to eat well at the big stage races. I’ve never been with such a big leader. Up until now, I’ve always been in smaller teams, so I’m trying to learn everything from her. How to sleep, eat, and recover well. This is the basis of being a champion.”

Worrack said that the classification win would show the women’s peloton where German team Canyon-SRAM stands ahead of the first Women’s WorldTour races. She is racing all the major classics coming up, including Strade Bianche on March 5.

“It’s a step into the classics seasons,” she said. “It works as a stepping stone for the whole team. We know what we are capable of and where we stand.”

Do not expect Worrack to say much more — she is quiet, talking more with her legs than with words. Dutchwoman Van Dijk  laughed, “She’s German, of course she doesn’t say much! She’ll celebrate this Tour of Qatar win with beers, for sure. Find her at the bar then for sure you’ll have a good interview!”