Reusser beats Vollering in the sprint to win Dwars door Vlaanderen
Marlen Reusser has won the first-ever women's WorldTour edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen. Former teammates Vollering and Reusser seemed destined to sprint for the win until they were surprised by a late jump from Nooijen in the final kilometer. Vollering had to give everything to catch the Dutchwoman, and Reusser took full advantage of that effort. The Swiss rider secured her first victory of the season.
Waregem hosted the start of the first-ever WorldTour edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen for women. The very first breakaway attempt by a group of five proved successful. Gjertsen (Uno-X Mobility), Griffin (Team Picnic PostNL), Rouat (Ma Petite Entreprise), Tonetti (Laboral Kutxa - Fundación), and Quinn (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) built a lead of up to four minutes. After 42 km, Le Mouël (Ma Petite Entreprise) and Soto (Laboral Kutxa - Fundación) joined them, making it seven riders at the front. With an average speed of 41.9 km/h after the first hour, the pace was incredibly high.
On the cobbles of the Mariaborrestraat, the seven attackers were caught, and the race truly caught fire. On the slopes of the Eikenberg, an elite quartet with D. Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ), Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech), Borghesi (AG Insurance-Soudal Team), and Moors (Lidl-Trek) launched the first major attack. They were brought back under the leadership of UAE Team ADQ , leaving a group of about thirty riders to head into the final.
Both Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Moors were dropped before the start of the Nokereberg due to punctures. Reusser (Movistar Team) managed to create a gap and was joined shortly after by D. Vollering. The former teammates built a fifteen-second lead, while UAE Team ADQ once again led the chase for their leader, Longo Borghini.
The two leaders extended their lead to 25 seconds and seemed destined to fight it out between themselves for the victory. However, in the final kilometer, they were surprised by a late jump from Nooien (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), who had escaped from the peloton. She sprinted past the duo, forcing Vollering to go all out to close the gap. Reusser took full advantage of that effort and beat Vollering in the sprint. With this, the Swiss rider has claimed her first win of the year. Nooijen secured a solid third place.
