Surprising Milan-San Remo statement from Wiebes/Kopecky duo, but also from SD Worx: 'Good that Vollering is no longer a teammate'

Lorena Wiebes’ victory in Milan-Sanremo wasn’t just a statement from the European champion herself—it was also one from her team, SD Worx-Protime. The Dutch squad has been dominant in recent years, but often at the center of debate due to the many team leaders and competing interests (read: internal disputes). In the women’s edition of La Primavera, SD Worx showed that with fewer leaders, they might be even more dangerous—something Wiebes made clear.

The world champion sacrificed her own chances, much like Mathieu van der Poel did last year for Jasper Philipsen. “I know how strong Lotte is. She put me in the perfect position, although I have to say Vos surprised me a little. I didn’t want to launch my sprint too early, but it was enough to take the win. I tried to finish off the teamwork, because we executed it perfectly. What Lotte did in the finale—I’m really grateful for that.”

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Wiebes thanks Kopecky, but also her team

Win number 98 already for the still only 26-year-old Wiebes. What a luxury—but even so, she was a bit surprised that SD Worx-Protime put so much trust in her. “If I was still in the group on or after the Poggio, then we’d play my card. If there was an attack, Lotte was free to respond, especially if there was a gap to me. But since I was still there, she worked for me. What she did was really important. Otherwise, there would’ve been more hesitation, and Longo might have stayed away. I knew I had to take a bit of a gamble, with Lotte coming in after the descent.”

And about the team’s trust in her: “Every winter I keep getting better, and I’ve really found my place here. They believe in me—like telling me beforehand that I could win. We have several riders who can win, and we all motivate each other. We discussed our plan in advance, and I know I can rely on Lotte. We’ve already shown in previous seasons that we’re strong together and fight for each other, as a team too. This is how we repay one another. I’ll be able to do the same for her this summer in the Tour.”

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Wiebes was quite dominant earlier this year in the UAE Tour

Wiebes scouted Milan-Sanremo, but is it already a Monument?

Wiebes credited her presence in the finale to another strong winter, with more focus on climbing—while maintaining her sprinting power. On top of that, she meticulously prepared for Milan-San Remo. “This one ranks very high. It’s fantastic to win here, because I did a lot of recon rides in recent days and stayed in Italy after Strade Bianche. I had a great preparation,” she said. “This one is high on my list, maybe even the biggest win of my career. All the top riders were at the start, so that made it even more important to win.”

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Lorena Wiebes in Strade Bianche

Vollering with another team is good for the peloton and for SD Worx-Protime

In short: everything went smoothly—according to Kopecky, it was “the perfect race” by Wiebes. Speaking to IDLProCycling.com, Wiebes also noted that races have become “more hectic this year.” She sees it as a result of key departures from SD Worx-Protime, with Marlen Reusser now riding for Movistar and Demi Vollering for FDJ-SUEZ. “The level of the peloton is also rising. When I started, there were only a few really strong riders. Now, more and more teams want to be at the front, and it’s a real fight for position. Even in Strade Bianche, it was already hectic—more chaos.”

So, there were no regrets about Vollering’s departure. “We’re no longer teammates, only on the national team. It’s good for women’s cycling that things are this way. It was great to call Demi my teammate, but also great to race against her,” said Wiebes, who acknowledged it brings more clarity. “It makes it easier to make race plans. Things worked well over the past few years, but that changed a bit last year. It also makes it more interesting that other teams are winning—there were complaints about that. Now, it makes us more hungry and sharp.”

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])     

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