13th Women's Gent-Wevelgem, March 24th, 2024

[Samu Cuenca]

Marlen Reusser is returning to the Flanders Fields to defend her title from last year, but with Wiebes and Kopecky starting alongside her, SD Worx have multiple cards to play in the final. Trek will have their options, too, with Elisa Balsamo, Shirin van Anrooij and Elisa Longo Borghini, who's just returned from Tenerife, where Paolo Slongo followed her training from a "luxurious" Citroën Berlingo. They also have Ellen van Dijk to instigate and close down attacks.

Fem van Empel was supposed to make her 2024 road debut today, but sickness has made her pull out before the start. Hopefully she'll recover before next week's races.
Her rival Puck Pieterse will still be here, and we know she's in a decent form at the moment. Other top 3-10 contenders include Pfeiffer Georgi, Chloé Dygert, Christina Schweinberger, Silvia Persico and Emma Norsgaard among others.

The live broadcast will start after 16:00 CET, and the race will finish about an hour after the men's.

Weather: Strong winds and possible rain.

Start list: https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=9048&y=2024&k=8

Spoiler: Course Info

Former Winners

Year	Country	Rider	Team
2012	Great Britain	Lizzie Deignan	AA Drink–leontien.nl
2013	Netherlands	Kirsten Wild	Argos–Shimano
2014	United States	Lauren Hall	Optum–Kelly Benefit Strategies
2015	Netherlands	Floortje Mackaij	Team Liv–Plantur
2016	Netherlands	Chantal Blaak	Boels–Dolmans
2017	Finland	Lotta Henttala	Cervélo–Bigla Pro Cycling
2018	Italy	Marta Bastianelli	Alé–Cipollini
2019	Netherlands	Kirsten Wild	WNT–Rotor Pro Cycling
2020	Belgium	Jolien D'Hoore	Boels–Dolmans
2021	Netherlands	Marianne Vos	Team Jumbo–Visma
2022	Italy	Elisa Balsamo	Trek–Segafredo
2023	Switzerland	Marlen Reusser	SD Worx

 

[Didinho]

Van Empel was sick last week and not recovered. DNS.

Was looking forward to see her on the road, expected a lot.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Van Empel was sick last week and not recovered. DNS.

Was looking forward to see her on the road, expected a lot.

I don't know why Vos isn't riding. This race suits her better than DDV and De Ronde.

 

[RedheadDane]

@Armchair cyclist. Poke-poke.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm basically out for most of this, feel Bjørgen is the most likely winner unless it stays too close together allowing a sprint for Balsamo or Wiebes. Reusser is the possible alternative for SD Worx but I don't trust Lotte not to chase her own teammates down if it ends up in that fashion. Brown or Longo Borghini would be a popular alternative, because of how it would mean the race panned out, but seems unlikely to me.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm basically out for most of this, feel Bjørgen is the most likely winner unless it stays too close together allowing a sprint for Balsamo or Wiebes.

Who?

 

[Didinho]

Who?

Did Vingo change his name again?

I’m supporting for the Italians again (Letizia, Chiara, Elisa..) and attacking Puck offcourse.

 

[RedheadDane]

Did Vingo change his name again?

I don't think that would have been enough for him to try and go incognito in this race...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Who?

Marit Bjørgen substitung for Kopecky.

 

[RedheadDane]

Marit Bjørgen substitung for Kopecky.

Is this an obscure reference to some random biathlete?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Is this an obscure reference to some random biathlete?

No, it's a reference to one of the best cross-country skiers of all time.

 

[RedheadDane]

No, it's a reference to one of the best cross-country skiers of all time.

Okay, so she's not also shooting while skiing, but my point still stands.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The break has been caught as they approach the hills.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Quinty Schoens who had the mechanical - she broke her collarbone in this race last season. 2 weeks after surgery she was racing at Amstel.

 

[Dk one]

Norsgaard did better in the classics when she was a sprinter than now as a classics type rider. I hope I put a good curse on her by saying that

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Okay, so she's not also shooting while skiing, but my point still stands.

Marit Bjørgen was built like she should be a powerhouse and win sprints, and she did. She also had an engine far more durable than would seem achievable for her physique and won over all terrains over all distances, even when it got to the stage where she was twice the size of all the skiers she was competing with because all the other powerhouses had long since been dropped or hadn't even started. I started dubbing Kopecky this after UAE Tour when she stopped being the powerhouse that won on her own terrain and survived surprisingly well in tougher terrain, and started winning on that terrain too.

It's one of a few different long-running substitutions I have on the forum, such as saying Eddy Merckx to mean Marianne Vos, George Hincapie to mean Geraint Thomas, Cândido Barbosa for Wout van Aert and Chris Horner to mean Rui Sousa.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Kopecky has to get rid of Wiebes, before the latter makes both of them crash on the cobbles

Georgi looks great, but I doubt she stands a chance.

 

[Didinho]

Hope the 2nd group can close it.
Good to have Georgie there, or it was race over.

Didn’t see Reusser there. Yeah it’s over.

 

[postmanhat]

Just started watching. How is this group being caught so easily given it's strength?

 

[Didinho]

Just started watching. How is this group being caught so easily given it's strength?

Don’t know why they don’t ride for Wiebes in that group.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

SDW could probably have killed the race by now, but as the team has always been against pulling for anyone, they might actually end up losing.

 

[Didinho]

SDW could probably have killed the race by now, but as the team has always been against pulling for anyone, they might actually end up losing.

Indeed but now Reusser starts riding in front. Why not with the little group of 8.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Indeed but now Reusser starts riding in front. Why not with the little group of 8.

It doesn't look like she's riding hard at all

 

[RedheadDane]

Norsgaard attacking.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Emma Mountain from Brædstrup Brisbane with a nice gap.