When she raised her arms just before the finish line, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) thought she had won the women’s Amstel Gold Race, after a shortened edition in which she surprised by being able to stay with the punchers’ attacks on the Cauberg. However, Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) threw her bike on the line, taking the win and pushing Wiebes into second place.
Wiebes was understandably upset after missing what would have been a valued, and somewhat unexpected, addition to her palmares through her own mistake.
“It is a terrible feeling. And it was just so stupid. Well, it’s a good lesson, and hopefully it won’t happen again next time,” Wiebes told Dutch broadcaster NOS after being consoled by her teammates.
Until the very last metres, everything had gone to plan for Wiebes and SD Worx-Protime. Lotte Kopecky and Blanka Vas had chased down the breakaway, and after a group of 22 riders formed on the Cauberg, Demi Vollering kept it together to allow Wiebes to sprint.
“When Longo Borghini went, I was already to the left of her wheel. She almost pushed me into the barriers, actually, but I could squeeze through somehow. Because of that, I focussed too much on my right and didn’t see Marianne coming,” said Wiebes.
“At the finish I saw Marianne and thought, ‘oh, maybe not after all’. Normally I sprint all the way to the line, but Marianne came as a surprise to me,” she continued.
A week after winning Paris-Roubaix Femmes herself, Kopecky worked for Wiebes during the race and sympathised with her teammate afterwards.
“This is really tough, especially for Lorena. We will talk about it in the bus. It has happened to the best. She probably won’t sleep well tonight, but maybe we can laugh about it in a few weeks,” Kopecky told Flemish broadcaster Sporza.
With her premature celebration, Wiebes joins the likes of Erik Zabel and Julian Alaphilippe who have lost races in a similar fashion in the past, and then there is also Lucy Kennedy who knows exactly how it feels to be undone by Vos after her early celebration at the Giro d'Italia Internazionale Femminile in 2019.
"Fortunately, my teammates were there for me after the finish. Demi Vollering immediately said, 'this will make you even hungrier'," said Wiebes in a team media release. "This is a race I would really like to have on my record. Hopefully I can take revenge next year."
