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The 2023 edition of Gent-Wevelgem was one of those races that, as a fan sitting at home, makes you think ‘I’m glad I’m not doing that’. As if the cobbled classics aren’t gruelling enough, the Belgian weather understood the assignment and duly delivered biblical conditions and freezing temperatures for both the men’s and women’s peloton to battle through on Sunday.
For the women’s race, a novel two and a half hours of live coverage meant that we got to see the sprawling chaos of this edition unfold in real time. And ‘chaos’ was the operative word of the day.
Crashes are to be expected on a wet day out on the cobbles, but something was in the rain water on this particular occasion with multiple pile-ups throughout the day. By far the worst, though, came with 45 km to go as a rider from AG Insurance Soudal-Quickstep fell victim to the perils of the ‘valley of death’ ridge on the Belgian roads and swiped out the entire right side of the peloton.
The crash happened at the front of the bunch leaving just a handful of riders unscathed. Behind, riders grabbed brakes causing an even bigger knock-on effect – in one sweep of a wheel half of the peloton was on the ground. One of the casualties of the day would be one of Trek-Segafredo’s most invaluable domestiques, Brodie Chapman, who would abandon the race with a broken sacrum and a concussion.
WEVELGEM, BELGIUM – MARCH 26: (L-R) Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz of Spain and Movistar Team, Tiffany Cromwell of Australia and Team Canyon//SRAM Racing, Jade Wiel of France and Team FDJ-Suez and the peloton compete during the 12th Gent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields 2023, Women’s Elite a 162.5km one day race from Ypres to Wevelgem/ #UCIWWT / on March 26, 2023 in Wevelgem, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
As the remainder of the bunch gathered themselves, and a Canyon//SRAM rider grappled to remove a rain jacket from her rear mech, SD Worx pushed on with Christine Majerus, Lorena Wiebes, and Marlen Reusser all present at the front.
Fractured groups battled to regain contact with numerous favourites having to chase, including Marta Bastianelli. The front group eventually grew to around 30 riders but the combination of the crashes and the weather seemed to take the impetus out of the peloton which allowed one of the world’s best time triallists, Marlen Reusser, to float off the front of the bunch just before the Baneberg and quickly build a gap.
“I didn’t attack. I thought maybe we can make a little bit the selection or a small group and there was just nobody on my wheel and then I thought let’s try a bit,” Reusser said after the race.
With four teammates in the group behind to disrupt any chasing the Swiss rider’s gap continued to grow over the top of the climb. However plenty of other teams had the numbers to go up against SD Worx and try to bring Reusser back. Jumbo-Visma had two riders present, Trek-Segafredo three, and Canyon//SRAM four.
In a replay of the ‘Second Group Syndrome’ we have seen on multiple occasions this season, the presence of Wiebes seemed to discourage riders from working to pull Reusser back only to lose in a sprint against the European Champion. In the end, however, Wiebes took herself out of contention. In an attempt to move up, she veered off the road and along a lay-by but when she cut back into the group the sprinter touched wheels and crashed, taking her teammate Elena Cecchini with her.
Asked what happened, a shivering Lotte Kopecky told the media post- race: “Lorena got in the gutter and then she crashed and also Elena Cecchini. I was also just behind so I stopped to see because Lorena was actually screaming.”
WEVELGEM, BELGIUM – MARCH 26: (L-R) Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz of Spain and Movistar Team, Tiffany Cromwell of Australia and Team Canyon//SRAM Racing, Jade Wiel of France and Team FDJ-Suez and the peloton compete during the 12th Gent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields 2023, Women’s Elite a 162.5km one day race from Ypres to Wevelgem/ #UCIWWT / on March 26, 2023 in Wevelgem, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
Dutch Lorena Wiebes of SD Worx pictured in action during the women’s Gent-Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields cycling race, 162,5 km from Ieper to Wevelgem, Sunday 26 March 2023. BELGA PHOTO DAVID PINTENS (Photo by DAVID PINTENS / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by DAVID PINTENS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
Wiebes may have been screaming but it was Kopecky’s view that the directors in the other team’s cars behind must have kept quiet, letting Reusser ride away.
“Sometimes I don’t understand other teams,” she said. “I mean, it’s good for us but if I was a director I would say to my riders that they need to ride or attack immediately but nobody was doing that so they were giving Marlen some free minutes.”
Marlen Reusser is not a rider to whom anyone should give ‘free minutes’. The 31-year-old has come second in both the world and Olympic time trials and is up there with Trek-Segafredo’s Ellen van Dijk as one of the biggest engines in the women’s peloton.
“If you know Marlen then you know that she is capable of doing this,” said Kopecky. Still, the riders behind could not commit to a chase, multiple riders tried to stir something up including Brugge-De Panne winner Pfeiffer Georgi – who despite multiple crashes continuously made it back to the front – and Grace Brown of FDJ-SUEZ.
Others tried to attack the group, including Canyon//SRAM’s Shari Bossuyt, but as soon as moves were closed down by SD Worx came a general sense of defeat and a slowing of the pace.
The combination of the unrelenting rain and the equally unrelenting carnage of the crashes must surely have contributed to the group resigning itself to a sprint for second place. Even a wrong turn by Reusser did nothing to dent her advantage which by the finish had grown to 2’42”.
WEVELGEM, BELGIUM – MARCH 26: (L-R) Lotte Kopecky of Belgium and Team SD Worx and Grace Brown of Australia and Team FDJ-Suez compete passing through a Kemmelberg cobblestones sector during the 12th Gent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields 2023, Women’s Elite a 162.5km one day race from Ypres to Wevelgem/ #UCIWWT / on March 26, 2023 in Wevelgem, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
In the end, Megan Jastrab of Team DSM would claim second in the sprint – part of an impressive run for the 21-year-old so far this Classics season – while the Women’s WorldTour U23 leader Maike van der Duin took third.
After the race, Reusser summed up the general mood saying: “I’m so tired I think I am not yet here with my head,” as she gathered herself for an interview.
As for the heads of the rest of the teams, they will need to have them screwed on before Flanders this weekend if they hope to beat a dominant SD Worx.