WaowDeals Pro Cycling coloured the Omloop van het Hageland on Sunday. DS Jeroen Blijlevens’ riders often times appeared at the front. In the final kilometres, all riders had to bow for Ellen van Dijk, who laid low most of the race and squeezed out a devastating solo in the final kilometres. Anouska Koster was the first WaowDeals Pro Cycling rider to cross the finish line.

Cycling fans were on Sunday noon at the tip of their seat for the Omloop van het Hageland which could be followed via livestream provided by the organisation. The Belgian one-day-race of 132 kilometres brought spectacle from beginning to end.  The peloton broke in 2 parts after 20 kilometres following a crash. The 2nd part of the peloton had to work hard to re-connect which only happened 35 kilometres later. 

Attacking
The riders of DS Jeroen Blijlevens took place at the front rows after the re-union. They had made plans to attack at the 1st passage of the Roeselberg, the only climb of the local lap which they had to conquer 6 times. Anouska Koster kicked into a higher gear, showing for the 1st time on the climb the team’s intentions: to keep attacking.

After the 1st passage at the finish line in Tielt-Winge, 2 riders chose the attack: Marjolein van ’t Geloof and Femke Geeris. Two more riders got away from the peloton in a counter-attack. WaowDeals Pro Cycling got involved at 52 kilometers from the finish when Anouska was able to break away with a group of riders.

This chasing group, including our Frisian rider, caught the 2 other chasers and pursuit the 2 leaders. This strategy went well until the machinery started to fail, resulting in less cooperation. The peloton erased the gap and joined the 2 leaders soon after.

Roeselberg
The 3rd local lap brought even more excitement. Again in the climb of the Roeselberg, which became tougher as the race progressed, WaowDeals Pro Cycling pulled open all registers. Dani Rowe triggered a triage in the peloton, but soon after, the pace was not high enough to cause permanent damage as dropped riders were able to get back.

Dani is one of the WaowDeals’ women who is in form, which she showed at 17 kilometres from the finish. She attacked and got 5 breakaway mates: Spratt, Yonamine, Persico, Van Gogh and Canual. With the finish line in sight, the 6 leaders collected a lead of maximum 40 seconds. A couple of teams had missed the cut and tried to change the tide which they succeeded in 8 kilometres from the end.

On the last climb of the Roeselberg, Ellen van Dijk took off following a lead-out by her teammate Liane Lippert. She was able to hold on in an impressive manner. Chloe Hosking outsprinted the peloton, including the WaowDeals Pro Cycling riders with Anouska being the best placed. 

Avoiding a sprint
“The Omloop van het Hageland often finishes in a sprint, making it tough for us. Today, we tried to race and to avoid a sprint”, says DS Jeroen Blijlevens whose riders tried several times. “Anouska got away in a nice group, but was unlucky in the fact that the cooperation was not ideal.  I believed for a long time in a successful outcome of Dani’s attempt.  We have raced with audacity.”