Marlen Reusser solos to Gent-Wevelgem victory for SD Worx despite taking wrong turn in dramatic finish
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Updated 26/03/2023 at 19:30 GMT
Conditions were not for the faint-hearted at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, as the day's racing was played out in atrocious weather. As such, there were spills aplenty on the roads of Belgium, and it impacted upon the race. In the end it was Marlen Reusser of SD Worx who slipped off the front after a crash, built a lead over the final climb and powered to her first victory in a Classic.
‘Something you never want to see!’ – Leader Reusser goes wrong way at Gent-Wevelgem
Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) defied nasty conditions and the drama of taking a wrong turn with 5km left to solo to victory at Gent-Wevelgem.
There were crashes at regular intervals and following a big pile-up with over 40 kilometres to run, Reusser slipped off the front and powered away for her first success in a Classic.
When entering Wevelgem, Reusser was without a guiding motorbike and went straight on when the route was right.
It could have thrown her out of kilter, but she calmly turned around and got back in her rhythm for a brilliant win.
“I am super happy,” Reusser said. "But I am so tired I think I am not yet here with my head.”
Reflecting on her race-winning move, Reusser expected others to follow.
“I did not attack,” the 31-year-old said. “I thought maybe it would be a small group but there was nobody on my wheel so I thought ‘let’s try it.’”
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Marlen Reusser rides alone during the 12th Gent-Wevelgem
Image credit: Getty Images
Commenting on taking the wrong turn, Reusser said: “I did not see the guys giving me the way, it was not so good.
“It was not panic, but I was not happy. I was a little bit angry as they did not show well the way and it was not nice to lose seconds.
“I wanted to know if I had to push on full gas or relax a little bit.
“At 1km to go the cars went and I understood it was going to happen and I was slowly getting more sure.”
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‘It was not panic, but I was not happy’ - Reusser after wrong turn during Gent-Wevelgem
The atrocious weather played a part in the day, and a big crash with 44km remaining saw a bunch of riders hit the deck and made the peloton - a reduced one - extremely nervous.
Shortly after the spill, Reusser - who fell earlier in the race - drifted off the front and as her SD Worx team-mates slowed things down in the pack, the Swiss opened up a chunky lead. It proved to be a race-winning move.
"I saw Marlen go and I knew she was gone,” Reusser’s team-mate Lotte Kopecky said. "Marlen is capable of doing this and she is always capable of winning a Classic.”
As she hit the foot of the Kemmelberg, Reusser had stretched her lead to over a minute and reached the summit with that advantage intact.
It was a case of whether Reusser, who had established her name in cycling as a time-trialist, could solo the 33km to the finish.
Reusser missed two bottles, in part due to the cold and wet conditions, but it did not halt her progress and with a lack of cohesion in the chase she extended her lead to over two minutes with 20km remaining.
Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM) - who was caught up in the big crash - got back on and attempted to motivate the chase but they never got organised, with SD Worx riders causing disruption.
A breakaway group of seven formed with 15km to go and they worked well - albeit with Reusser’s team-mate Christine Majerus doing a fine job of polite interference.
In behind, the day was summed up with 10km to go when a crash took down another bunch of riders - Lorena Wiebes, Lotte Kopecky and Elena Balsamo among them.
Reusser looked supremely strong and kept the pack at bay, but she had a moment of alarm when taking a wrong turn with 5km to run.
She quickly realised the error, turned her bike around and got back in time-trial mode to land her victory.
Megan Jastrab (DSM) and Maike van der Duin (Lifeplus Wahoo) completed the podium.
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Highlights: Reusser solos to Gent-Wevelgem win despite taking wrong turn in dramatic finish
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