Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) admitted that the revived Milan-San Remo Women was a tricky one to foretell as a entrance group of 12 riders barreled down the descent off the enduring Poggio and onto the streets of San Remo.
A late assault from Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) precipitated Vos and teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot to hesitate and by the point they reacted it was too little too late as SD Worx-Protime made the catch and Lorena Wiebes launched her dash to take the historic victory.
Italian champion Longo Borghini delivered her assault simply after the hectic descent and it was SD Worx-Protime’s Lotte Kopecky who initiated the chase, spending all her matches to ensure Wiebes was in prime place within the closing straight.
“I regarded again and noticed Pauline was coming there, too, and I additionally knew that if I did it, then I might not have a dash left. It was slightly little bit of of venture however that is bike racing and that makes this closing so attention-grabbing,” Vos mentioned.
Vos nonetheless managed to complete second place, whereas Ferrand-Prévot initially crossed the road in fourth however was later relegated to twelfth for deviating from her line.
“It was onerous to foretell what the race was going to present. In the tip, I’m very pleased with how we raced as a workforce and the way I bought to the ultimate. And then, in a dash in opposition to Lorena Wiebes, you understand it’ll be very onerous however we tried. I feel we could be glad with second,” Vos mentioned.
“Of course, you at all times attempt to go for the win and goal for the very best spot, however I do know in a dash in opposition to Lorena it’s onerous to beat her, however you at all times strive. Today, I wasn’t that far off, so I’m a bit disenchanted however on the identical time glad with how we raced. I didn’t make any errors so, sure, I could be completely happy.”
The revived ladies’s race at Milan-San Remo turn into the fourth of the 5 Monuments for the ladies’s peloton – alongside the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Vos has raced all of them, successful Tour of Flanders in 2013.
The ladies raced 156km from Genoa to San Remo, together with the enduring Cipressa and Poggio climbs. A gaggle of 12 emerged excessive of the Poggio and down the descent. It included Vos, who mentioned her precedence was to stay in management by means of the tough switchbacks.
In the tip, she sprinted side-by-side on the left of Wiebes, however regardless of the explosive drag race to the road, she was not quick sufficient to outsprint her compatriot.
Asked if this 12 months’s race was a sign of what we might anticipate to see in future editions of Milan-San Remo Women, Vos mentioned it was robust to say as a result of there are such a lot of components at play together with distance, climate and wind.
“I feel, it is onerous to inform. Maybe subsequent 12 months it will likely be completely totally different. I do not know if there are conclusions you may make for this version, however you might really feel the stress within the bunch was excessive. Everyone wished to place nicely. The crashes might need had an affect and a few riders had been out of creating a distinction, early assault or excessive tempo,” Vos mentioned.
“The winds performed a giant position; a tailwind does not assist as a result of it’s a excessive tempo and nobody can get away, however a headwind does not assist both whenever you wish to make a distinction, so in the long run, Lorena was climbing nicely and it was onerous to get away.”
Still, she mentioned she loved the brand new race on the calendar, suggesting just one minor enchancment to the space, by including 20km to 30km and rising the entire to nearer to 180km.
“It was a stupendous race. I’m completely happy we did it immediately and hopefully, there are various extra editions to return. It’s nice to have it on the calendar. It was a implausible version. We have so many lovely races and this matches nicely into the calendar. For enchancment, I do not know, we’ll simply stay up for the subsequent,” Vos mentioned.
“It is an choice to make it longer. That is the particular situation with the lads’s race however I do not know if that might have made a distinction in immediately’s race, to be trustworthy. In the tip, the ultimate is identical and the riders can deal with the distinction.”
