Marianne Vos took the victory on Sunday afternoon in Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik with an amazing power display.  She outsprinted 3 other riders after having made the jump from the peloton to the leading group 2 kilometres from the finish line. The other WM3 riders were instrumental in this incredible result.

The race exploded on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Four riders got away, including Marianne Vos. Even though their lead was not huge, the other teams who missed the breakaway, had to pull out all the stops to close the gap. WM3 Pro Cycling was in a luxurious position as all 5 riders could hide in the chasing group consisting of 30 women. “This meant we could enter the final as a strong block. This allowed us to play out a nice game”, according to DS Jeroen Blijlevens.

Strong performance by Yara
WM3 Pro Cycling was calling the shots as soon as the 4 riders were caught. Anna Plichta broke away, but was called to order. Then Yara Kastelijn pushed through and got in the lead together with Maria Giulia Confalonieri. This duo built a comfortable lead and it looked for a long time one of these two would be the winner in a warm Gooik.

The race turned however in the last lap when Ellen van Dijk en Elisa Longo Borghini attacked and joined the 2 leaders. “I initially felt good, but it got tougher and more challenging the closer we got to the finish line. When Borghini and van Dijk joined, the pace increased and that was it for me. I shouted in my earpiece that I had to let them go”, says Yara.

Opening all registers
The WM3 Pro Cycling riders had already taken the necessary measures. At the request of Jeroen Blijlevens, Anna Plichta and Rotem Gafinovitz settled themselves at the front, trying to shorten the distance with the leading group, which they succeeded in. “I looked around in the peloton and noticed many suffering faces, so I thought: I have to take my chances”, says Marianne Vos, who in the last 10 kilometres opened all registers to ride to the front of the race.

“The gap was still quite significant. Even when I closed in by 15 seconds uphill, it was still a wide gap. Firstly, I picked up Yara and then I got the leading trio in sight which I could join 2 kilometres from the finish line. I was afraid that the chasing group would get organised and bring everyone together, so I took the initiative. I felt that I would have a chance if we could stay ahead. I was rather clever in the sprint as I started the sprint head-on so the rest would have to pass me against the wind.”

One block
Following the finish, there was only praise for the entire team. “This is something we have to build upon.  We do not have the largest team with the most qualities within the peloton. However, it has been proven that if you form one block, something beautiful can happen”, according to Jeroen Blijlevens.