European champion gets great support from Movistar Team, shows excellent form in her second appearance this year to finish one step off the podium as Van den Broek-Blaak (SDW) wins.
Former World Champion Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SDW) conquered the 7th edition of Strade Bianche, the first round of the 2021 UCI Women’s WorldTour, after a late move alongside Elisa Longo Borghini (TFS) after the final sections of ‘sterrato’. It was a two-woman move which Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team), whose courage didn’t go unnoticed once again, tried to replicate just before the winning move.
The European champion showed her power at the final gravel road sector, Le Tolfe, with about 10km to go, having bridged back to an eight-rider attempt which featured her team-mate Jelena Eric. Van Vleuten -well supported from the very start by Biannic, Rodríguez, Aalerud and Thomas, other than the Serbian- left with her only former Olympic champion Marianne Vos (TJV). Their attack was ultimately brought back by a group of about twelve members.
In the end, only escapees Van den Broek-Blaak and Longo Borghini + World Champion Anna Van der Breggen (SDW) bested Annemiek, whose 2021 debut will be continued by an April return to the Flemish classics.
REACTION / Annemiek van Vleuten:
“I’m super proud of both my race and my team-mates’. I’m especially satisfied with the fact that I didn’t make any mistakes, after a really disappointing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, when I lost sight of the front due to a bad position. I’m super proud with how I reacted during the race, always into a good place and going what I needed to do. It’s not far away – it’s going to be there soon. It’s so nice to see this team doing so well and we can only go forward from here.”
Cover picture (c): BettiniPhoto