'Wiebes is an absolute animal' – Cat Ferguson says riders need to believe SD Worx-Protime star is beatable, or 'it's never going to happen'

After 19-year-old Carys Lloyd's shock win at the Ronde van Brugge last Thursday, fellow Movistar teenager Cat Ferguson has said that teams and riders need to remember that Lorena Wiebes is human and can be beaten, "or it's never going to happen."

Lloyd shocked both herself and the entire women's peloton at the end of a gruelling 143-kilometre race in Brugge, when she launched an extended sprint away from Wiebes, who was boxed in, and other star fast riders such as Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Nienke Veenhoven (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto).

Ferguson returned to racing with Lloyd on Sunday at In Flanders Fields, but recalled pre-race at the complete disbelief she had reacted with to her teammate's first professional victory.

"It was incredible, because you watch a race like that, and honestly, everyone, even me, a teammate of Carys', expects that Wiebes is going to win, and she didn't," Ferguson told Cyclingnews in Wevelgem.

"Carys won, and I was watching it in a pottery shop with Imogen Wolff; it was her birthday, and we were painting a pot together, and we were screaming, because it was just something out of this world, almost.

"The notifications started coming through because we were a bit behind on the live stream, and it didn't say that she had won or anything, so I thought that she'd done very well, and then I saw her cross the line first. I was honestly in disbelief for a while, because what she has done is really just historic, to be honest."

Of course, Wiebes didn't take long to take her revenge after missing out on a chance even to sprint three days before. In Flanders Fields, she dominated both the climbs and the five-rider group sprint to win for the fifth time already in 2026.

She's coming off the back of her best season yet with SD Worx-Protime, having claimed 25 wins in 2025 and with her overall tally now sitting at 123 at the professional level. Ferguson's point of belief being key does still stand, though. That's because what the Ronde van Brugge did expose is how Wiebes is not immune to getting boxed in or following the wrong wheel in a sprint, despite her clear superiority against anyone when it comes to pure speed.

"Wiebes is an absolute animal, but I think it shows that she can be beaten. She is only human, and she does make mistakes, which, as a whole, probably makes cycling more interesting," said Ferguson.

"Because if the riders don't believe that we can beat Wiebes, then, of course, it's never going to happen. So if we can start believing that, then hopefully teams stop riding with SD Worx and things like that, to make a change and allow things to happen again.

"Of course, I respect Wiebes and I also enjoy when she wins; she's an incredible athlete, but it's always nice to see an underdog win like Carys did, especially as she's my teammate."

2026 and beyond

Ferguson wasn't quite able to challenge on Sunday as she did at Opening Weekend, where she took fourth in the chasing sprint just behind Wiebes, who was third. Even so, as she moves into her second year as a WorldTour racer with Movistar, she already feels a jump has been made from 2025, both in terms of confidence and strength.

"I feel physically much stronger than last year. I think more in a sense of I sort of fatigue less, and that's probably just due to the fact I did no cyclocross over the winter, and I just committed to training," said Ferguson.

"As well as the fact I'm a year older and experienced as well. But I think I'm just enjoying each race a lot more now than last year. It's not quite as nerve-racking going into a race, and I feel a bit more confident with positioning and understanding how professional racing is going."

Ferguson is racing again on Wednesday is Dwars door Vlaanderen, before she turns her focus to a second Tour of Flanders appearance – having finished 19th on debut last year – on Sunday, April 5.

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