Ronde van Drenthe Women 2024
Lorena Wiebes aims for record fourth straight title in Ronde van Drenthe
Women's WorldTour – The definitive guide for 2024
Results
Lorena Wiebes wins Ronde van Drenthe for a record fourth year in a row
Hello and welcome to the Ronde van Drenthe 2024!
The race today covers 158.1km and takes on six ascents of the famous landfill climb of the VAMberg.
Lorena Wiebes of SD Worx-Protime has taken the last three times on the cobbles. This time she faces off against her former leadout woman and main rival, Charlotte Kool.
The DSM-Firmenich-PostNL star has struggled for form at the start of the year after getting just before the UAE Tour. But she has been getting better and better.
Wiebes and Kool have ridden against each other this season at the Omloop van het Hageland, where neither rider got near victory.
But of course, it isn't all about Wiebes and Kool. There are plenty of other riders who can take this win. The race may not even be a sprint, of course.
We saw this at the European championships with Mischa Bredewold taking the race solo. She is taking part for SD Worx-Protime. If we're honest, anyone in the team for that squad could win today.
Others are Chiara Consonni with Sofia Bertizzolo giving UAE Team ADQ options. Aniina Ahtosalo and Maria Giulia Confalonieri from Uno-X Mobility. Georgia Baker for Liv-AlUla-Jayco, super star Elisa Balsamo of Lidl-Trek, with Fenix-Deceuninck having Christina Schweinberger and Puck Pieterse.
The race has started with the riders doing 2.2km of neutral zone.
The official start is given! We are racing!!
The race s already only 4km from the first time up the VAMberg. This is a very fast paced race. 152km to go. Still all together.
There is a sprint at the top of the VAMberg. The first of two. This is one of two minor competitions in the race. There are 6, 4 and 2 points available.
The other two ascents are QoM sprints, also with 6, 4 and 2 points available. Potentially something for the smaller teams.
Over the top of the VAMberg and just awaiting the sprint result.
There has been a crash unfortunately for Alex Morrice of Canyon-SRAM.
Also, the peloton has apparently split, maybe due to the crash.
Half an hour in, 20km done. Race is all together. A quiet start to the race.
About the hit the VAMberg for the second time. The race had split into three groups but the front two have come back together. Just over 120km to go.
There is a 28kph win from the east today with the temperature at 11 degrees C.
With 100km to go we have a solo breakaway!
Valerie Demey of VolkerWessels. She has a minute on the peloton.
The 30-year-old has no pro wins to her name, but some good results in races like a podium in the Belgian national championships road race as well as GP Vårgårda and a top 10 on the GC in Thüringen Ladies Tour.
Demey is about 6km from the third ascent of the VAMberg. She has 40" on the peloton who have chiseled off 20" since the last gap was given. 95km to go.
Demey is about the start the VAMberg for the third time with the peloton now +30" down with 90km to go.
Demey has crossed the line with three laps to go and she has a gap of +1'11" over the peloton.
Sadly, we have had an abandon. Lea Lin Teutenberg for Ceratizit-WNT.
Live pictures show that a small group of riders are out of the back at moment. SD Worx-Protime, DSM-Firmenich-PostNL, Liv-AlUla-Jayco, Lidl-Trek and Human Powered Health lead the way.
Demey has 2'20" gap now as the Belgian is doing a brilliant race with 73km to go.
Interesting that Finland's national champion, Anniina Ahtosalo, working on the front. Likely for Maria Giulia Confalonieri.
Crash! Lily Williams for Human Powered Health is the rider who went down. Mischa Bredewold also hit the deck as well as several others. All back riding, thankfully with Williams just straightening her bars before heading off again.
As the race head the the VAMberg for the fourth time, the pace in the peloton has really slackened. However, the gap to Demey has fallen to 57" with 62km to go.
60km to go. Demey's gap is said to be 1'26" as she starts the VAMberg once again.
A mechanical for one rider in the peloton led to a split on the first slopes of the VAMberg, but it was closed down very quickly.
Valerie Demey looks to be really hurting on the second kicker to the highest point of the climb.
She has 1'20" on the peloton led by Ahtosalo with 57km to go.
The peloton is in absolute bits!
Mechanical for Lily Williams. Very frustrating for the American who will now have to wait for the team car which will be a long way down. That may be her race done.
Interesting that riders like Georgia Baker and Maaike Boogaard seemed to be struggling on the VAMberg. Two riders you'd usually see up towards the front.
They may get back in, but with one and a half passaged up the VAMberg left, they may not be involved at the end.
Before the last ascent of the VAMberg the DSM-Firmenich-PostNL sprinter, Chralotte Kool, doing a lot of work. As is their other sprinte, Rachele Barbieri.
This surely means that they are working for British champion, Pfeiffer Georgi. She managed a top five in the European Championships last year on this climb.
50km to go. Demey has 2'25" on the peloton now. They have really dramatically dropped the pace as various teams spread across the road.
Attack by Maud Rijnbeek and Evy Kuijpers, but the AG Insurance-Soudal and Fenix-Deceuninck riders don't even manage a gap.
SD Worx-Protime, Fenix-Deceuninck and DSM-Firmenich-PostNL are attempting to create splits in this moderate north-easterly wind. And it is working!
Not massive gaps, but the pace has caused some splits further back in the bunch. The peloton has maybe lost a third of it's size in the wind.
Chantal van den Broek-Blaak has been distanced by the peloton in this mini echelons.
40km to go. Demey now just has 23".
With 38km to go, Valerie Demey is caught by a flying peloton.
Alice Wood (formally Barnes) on the front alongside another British rider, Georgi.
Now SD Worx-Protime hit the front en masse including Wiebes who looks really up or this. Multiple teams trying to split the bunch even more.
The peloton are heading to the final full ascent of the VAMberg. The finish only takes on the first half.
Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Abi Smith are a couple of riders distanced by the pace at the front of the bunch. Mostly done by Cordon-Ragot's team, Human Powered Health.
Also in that dropped group was cyclo-cross star, Zoe Backstedt.
Backstedt, Smith and Cordon-Ragot make it back to the bunch with 33km to go. The pace has ebbed somewhat before turning towards the VAMberg again.
Pfeiffer Georgi leads onto the VAMberg for the penultimate time with Mischa Bredewold joining her at the front. 30km to go.
One lap to go! Puck Pieterse leads over the top and stretches the peloton right out and has, in fact, caused some splits with six riders going clear!
Attack by Pieterse! Georgi, Kool, Wiebes, Majerus, Towers, Gasparrini, Balsamo and Schweinberger getting away. Confalonieri also joining. The remnants of the peloton aren't too far behind, though.
Lead group:
Lorena Wiebes, SDW
Pfeiffer Georgi, DFP
Puck Pieterse, FED
Alice Towers, CSR
Christine Majerus, SDW
Elisa Balsamo, LTK
Charlotte Kool, DFP
Christina Schweinberger, FED
No time gap given yet, but all the main teams involved. 26km to go.
In the chase
Maria Giulia Confalonieri, UXM
Letizia Paternoster, LAJ
Femke Gerritse, SDW
They're about 10" back on the leaders.
UAE Team ADQ catch the chasing trio and are closing on the leaders with 16" between the two groups.
20km to go. The eight leaders are working very well together. However, they're not getting away. They have 10" on the peloton with Anniina Ahtosalo trying an attack from the peloton.
Ahtosalo's acceleration is bringing the peloton right back into the race as the gap is shrinking to the leaders with Bertizzolo catching Ahtosalo.
Maria Giulia Confalonieri took it upon herself to bring the leaders back as we have a group of 25 to 30 with 18km to go.
Attack! Pieterse tries a move. But SD Worx-Protime jumps straight onto that one.
Another attack! Ilse Pluimers with Romy Kasper. That doesn't get away either.
Somehow, Lily Williams has made it back to the lead of the race! She must be in really good form. She has had a crash, a mechanical and a bike change and has managed to get back in.
10km to go, DSM-Firmenich-PostNL, SD Worx-Protime and Human Powered Health leading the peloton.
The peloton is now around 40 riders strong, maybe a tad less with 8km to go. The pace is quite steady with the teams of Wiebes and Kool doing the pacing.
DSM-Firmenich-PostNL and SD Worx-Protime leading the way with 5km to go.
4km to go for the riders now.
3km to go, Human Powered Health squeeze through alongside DSM-Firmenich-PostNL and SD Worx-Protime, pinning Lidl-Trek back as it stands.
2km to go and, finally, the pace is rising quite dramatically with the sun setting as dusk closes in.
SD Worx-Protime and DSM-firmenich-PostNL are the two teams once again dominating but Lidl-Trek and UAE Team ADQ finally moving up for their sprinters into the final corner.
Flamme Rouge! Georgi leading with Kool perfectly placed in third wheel as Majerus is moving Wiebes up as the climb starts.
500m to go as Pieterse is moving up but Georgi still leads.
Lorena Wiebes wins the Ronde van Drenthe for the fourth time in a row! No-one has won it more.
Elisa Balsamo takes second for Lidl-Trek. But she just couldn't live with the detonation of an acceleration by Wiebes as they hit the cobbles in the final 200 metres.
Puck Pieterse takes a brilliant third place for Fenix-Deceuninck.
Ronde van Drenthe 2024 top 10:
1. Lorena Wiebes SDW
2. Elisa Balsamo LTK
3. Puck Pieterse FED
4. Letizia Peternoster LAJ
5. Victoire Berteau COF
6. Vittoria Guazzini FST
7. Maria Giulia Confalonieri UXM
8. Christine Majerus SDW
9. Pfeiffer Georgi DFP
10. Chalotte Kool DFP
And that is that for this live. Thank you very much for joining me. Keep an eye out on the home page for the race report and quotes from the likes of Lorena Wiebes and others.
Plus, all the reaction from the finales of Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico that took place today.
Plenty more racing to come this season with the first Monument of the season, Milano-Sanremo taking place next weekend.
