The second event on the 2017 Women's WorldTour calendar, the Ronde van Drenthe takes riders over cobblestones and small climbs over the course of a day that starts and finishes in the Dutch town of Hoogeveen.
An impressive list of recent winners points to the prestige of the race, one that has done a fine job of designing a parcours deftly balanced to give fast finishers and solo artists a shot at glory.
Early cobbled sections at the Ronde van Drenthe wear away at the bunch before the man-made 'VAM-berg' climb encourages attacks later on in the day. A flatter finale, however, challenges escapees to stay clear all the way to the line.
Chantal Blaak, Gracie Elvin, Trixi Worrack and Anna van der Breggen left the peloton behind in the 2016 edition of the race to fight for the win amongst the themselves. Blaak proved fastest at the line, claiming the second ever Women's WorldTour race victory, one of several excellent results the Boels Dolmans rider would claim in a breakout season.
