Lorena Wiebes wins In Flanders Fields for the third year in a row

Lorena Wiebes has claimed her third consecutive victory at In Flanders Fields. The Dutch champion set the pace on the first ascent of the Kemmelberg, where a group of five riders broke away from the rest. Together with her breakaway companions, Wiebes kept the speed high before sprinting to her third win in a row. “I felt amazing and I’m happy I could finish it off. It’s beautiful to win this wonderful race for the third year in a row, especially in this way.”

Lorena Wiebes: “I felt strong today. On the Baneberg I could follow easily. That’s why I thought before the Kemmelberg: ‘why not try to accelerate myself?’ The feeling stayed good. I wanted to keep the pace high in our group of five. I expected an attack from UAE-Team ADQ, and when it came I couldn’t immediately respond. That cost an effort. The sprint was tough—I launched from 300 metres out, which might have been a bit early. The problem is that at this finish you can see the line from so far away, so it’s hard to hold back.”

“Is today’s performance on the Kemmelberg a reference for the Tour of Flanders? I definitely gained confidence. Although today I had super legs, and we’ll have to see how they feel next week. The field for Ronde van Vlaanderen is incredibly strong, with riders like Demi Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini and Kasia Niewiadoma. And with Lotte Kopecky, we have an excellent card to play as well. I hope I can be part of the final, even if it’s just to put pressure from a second group.”

“This kind of breakaway is new for me. It was hard to judge how big our gap was. I really wanted to stay away with this group. I’m super happy to win In Flanders Fields for the third time like this.”