Another prestigious podium for UAE Team ADQ, once again delivering a strong and cohesive team performance. Dutch rider Karlijn Swinkels secured third place at In Flanders Fields – In Wevelgem (135.2 km).
It was also an excellent team result overall, with Eleonora Gasparrini finishing fifth and Lara Gillespie tenth. Three riders in the top 10 underline the team’s strength and cohesion, a defining feature of this impressive start to the season.
Once again, UAE Team ADQ took control of the race, setting the pace at the front, contributing to the chase of the early breakaway, and making the race selective with a series of attacks.
As expected, the Kemmelberg proved decisive. After an initial selection, it was the second ascent on the cobbled section, approached from the opposite side, that made the difference. Following an early effort by Silvia Persico and a sharp acceleration from Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx), a leading group of five riders formed, including UAE Team ADQ teammates Eleonora Gasparrini (third at Milano-Sanremo the previous week) and Karlijn Swinkels (winner of the Trofeo Binda two weeks earlier).
They were joined by Wiebes, Fleur Moors (Lidl-Trek), and Elise Chabbey (FDJ-SUEZ). With around 35 kilometres to go, the five riders worked well together, building a solid advantage that allowed them to fight for the win despite a late chase from the peloton.
In the closing kilometres, Gasparrini tried to take advantage of the team’s numerical superiority with a couple of attacks, but each time Wiebes reacted quickly and closed the gap.
The race was ultimately decided in a sprint, with Wiebes taking victory ahead of Moors and Swinkels in third place. Chabbey finished fourth and Gasparrini fifth. Seventeen seconds later, the peloton sprint saw Lara Gillespie claim tenth place, rounding off another outstanding team performance.
After the podium, Karlijn Swinkels said: “Once again we raced really well as a team. We managed to create a favourable situation by having two of us in the front group. We wanted to make that move stick, and we did. In the finale, Gasparrini tried a couple of attacks, while I focused on the sprint. Finishing third in such an important race is a great result for me and for the whole team, especially considering that Lorena Wiebes is the strongest sprinter in the peloton.”
(ph. Getty Sport)
