Bastianelli wins Omloop van het Hageland

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Marta Bastianelli (Ale Cipollini) won the small group sprint to take the victory at Omloop van het Hageland on Sunday. She claimed the victory ahead of Leah Kirchmann (Team Liv-Plantur) and Lotta Lepistö (Cervelo Bigla).

"I have to thank all my teamates for the support," said Bastianelli in a team press release. "I have kept covered throughout the race and driven to a best sprint, coming out in the last 150 meters, where I gave it my all.

"To my husband Roberto and especially to my beautiful daughter Clarissa Victoria, it is they who give me the energy and drive to give the best in cycling."

Omloop van het Hageland - Tielt-Winge 2016 offered a 129km road race starting and finishing in Tielt-Winge, on February 28, in Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium. Although the peloton had many of the same riders as the previous day's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women, world champion and winner of that race Lizzie Armitstead (Boels Dolmans) had opted not to participate.

Wiggle High5 and Orica-AIS were very aggressive during the race and featured in early breakaways but the main move ended up with Gracie Elvin (Orica-AIS) and Anouska Koster (Rabo Liv) with 65 km to go.

The pair stayed away until 35kms to go, caught because of a series of attacks coming from the main field. Hitec was the next to make a move but their team’s solo rider, too, was caught over the last climb of the circuit before seeing one lap to go.

US road champion, Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans) was the next to attack but she was covered by Trixi Worrack (Canyon-SRAM) and the pair did not work together.

Wiggle took up the chase to bring them back, and counter moves came from Orica-AIS and Rabo-Liv, but the field, which had shrunk during the aggressive last lap was all together with 13km to go.

Cylance Pro Cycling was the first to organise a proper leadout, protecting their sprinter Shelley Olds but as the peloton charged toward the finish line, it was former world champion Marta Bastianelli who took the surprise win for Ale Cipollini.

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