Veni, Vidi, Wiebes: Lor of the Sprints

[Samu Cuenca]

Balsamo and Kopecky have both deservingly gotten their own threads recently, but although some of their victories have been more valuable, they don't have as many of them between them as Lorena Wiebes has on her own. Unless she has issues, she's practically unbeatable in a sprint due to her power and strong leadout train.

Will she be dethroned? Will she finish her current contract? Will she ever learn how to climb?

40 career wins now for Wiebes, and she's only just turned 23!

For reference, Pogačar - also 23 - has 37 wins to his name. Evenepoel, 22, has 25 wins.

Vos still boss though, by 23 she had won a mind-boggling 76 races 🤯#SPwomen #Scheldeprijs pic.twitter.com/ZhubzDCo6N

— Will Newton (@InsidePeloton96) April 6, 2022

View: https://twitter.com/InsidePeloton96/status/1511692945510088707

 

[Red Rick]

in before @Gigs_98 rant about the nerdiness of LOTR references on a cycling forum.

 

[Gigs_98]

in before @Gigs_98 rant about the nerdiness of LOTR references on a cycling forum.

It's all wrong.
By rights, it shouldn't even be here.

 

[yaco]

Wiebes will continue to dominate sprints because the lead out trains in the women's peleton don't have the power or the depth to get her out of position in the final. This is one area of women's cycling which requires further development.

 

[Wvv]

Nice title.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Love the title since for once a great movie reference represents Wiebes well as unbeatable in a sprint.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

After the recent Baloise Ladies Tour, the Speed Queen is now on 89 pro/elite/senior victories. Interestingly, she had won the first four when Tadej Pogačar won his first in Algarve in 2019, so they've pretty much matched each other since then. Marianne Vos was already on 139 road wins at Wiebes' current age, while Mark Cavendish was only on 63. Both of them have won over 100 victories in the years since.

Vos' most victorious season was in 2011, where she added 31 wins to her palmares. Wiebes' career best is 23 wins in 2022, but she is currently on 18 for 2024, so it'll be possible for her to break her own record before the end of the season. Vos' 31 is most likely out of reach for her, but it could be a different story for Pogačar, who's only 10 wins away now. Eddy Merckx and Freddy Maertens both had seasons with even more victories during their careers, but they are of course no longer active.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I also asked 3 questions in the OP: Will she be dethroned? Will she finish her current contract? Will she ever learn how to climb?

The answers to the first two have definitely been no, but I'm not sure her climbing has improved enough to say a resounding yes to the last one.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Edit: correction

 

[yaco]

I also asked 3 questions in the OP: Will she be dethroned? Will she finish her current contract? Will she ever learn how to climb?

The answers to the first two have definitely been no, but I'm not sure her climbing has improved enough to say a resounding yes to the last one.

Her climbing is at a level that she could have helped Kopecky in the last stage of the Giro. Another way to look at is she climbs best of all the sprinters.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Her climbing is at a level that she could have helped Kopecky in the last stage of the Giro. Another way to look at is she climbs best of all the sprinters.

I don't think she would have made it to the final, but it is a moot point, since they were never both going to ride the race. If it wasn't an Olympic year, Wiebes would possibly have ridden the Giro, but then Kopecky wouldn't have.

 

[yaco]

I don't think she would have made it to the final, but it is a moot point, since they were never both going to ride the race. If it wasn't an Olympic year, Wiebes would possibly have ridden the Giro, but then Kopecky wouldn't have.

There is nothing to stop Wiebes riding the Giro and the TDF. And Wiebes and Kopecky rode together at the 2023 TDF.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

There is nothing to stop Wiebes riding the Giro and the TDF. And Wiebes and Kopecky rode together at the 2023 TDF.

They can ride together at the Tour and will probably do it next year, but unless Kopecky decides she doesn't want to sprint anymore, I don't think we'll see them both ride the Giro or Vuelta very often.