SD Worx-Protime called Lorena Wiebes back into action on one day's notice, confirming the Dutch Champion would now be in the lineup Thursday at Ronde van Brugge and have a chance to defend her title.
Marie Schreiber, the reigning Luxembourg champion on the road and cyclo-cross, was deemed not yet ready to compete, still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury. Schreiber, who completed her cyclo-cross season in February after finishing 20th at Worlds in Hulst, will now target Scheldeprijs Women on April 8 to begin her road season.
Meanwhile, Wiebes filled a roster spot for the Women's WorldTour mid-week contest, a revamped Belgian race she has won twice before when it was called Classic Brugge-De Panne.
“Lorena Wiebes was originally not planned for the Tour of Bruges in order to maintain a good balance between load and rest. There are many major objectives scheduled around this race, and that’s why Lorena was initially not going to start," said Sports Director Christian Kos in a team statement.
"But she is in good shape and was very keen to add the Bruges Cycling Classic to her calendar once it became clear that Marie Schreiber wouldn’t be fit in time. So we will try to defend her victory.”
Last year Wiebes used her signature acceleration in the final 200 metres to sail ahead of Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) for her 99th career victory.
In addition to the new name, the course this year has been modified to start and finish inland in Bruges, which eliminates the former run-in along the coast to De Panne. There are still cobbled sectors and unsheltered roads that make the race unpredictable, with a forecast of rain and winds on the menu.
"The weather will be an important factor in determining whether a small group will sprint for the win or the peloton. There are still plenty of exposed sections, and with the forecasted wind, it can become a tough race,” Kos added.
"The Tour of Bruges has taken a critical look at the safety of the course. They have paid close attention to it and added wider roads."
Rider safety, for the men's and women's editions, has been cited as one of the reasons for organisers to change the route, which now eliminates a number of tight turns and road obstacles for the finale. The races are still sprint-friendly, and it favours one of the world's top sprinters, Wiebes.
So far this season, the 27-year-old is in typical top form, having won a trio of stages and the points classification at the UAE Tour Women, going third at Omloop Nieuwsblad and then winning GP Oetingen for a third time in her career. She aided teammate Lotte Kopecky for the team victory at Milan-San Remo last Saturday, the Belgian having won Nokere Koerse as well.
"The flow is good at the moment, and the Tour of Bruges is a beautiful WorldTour race," Kos said. "We hope to go for a third consecutive victory with Team SD Worx-Protime, after Nokere Koerse and Milan–San Remo.
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