Blaak wins Ronde van Drenthe
By Cycling News
Boels-Dolmans rider tops Elvin in second WorldTour round
Chantal Blaak (Boels Dolmans) continued her run of good form with a commanding victory in the Boels Ronde van Drenthe, the second round of the inaugural UCI Women's WorldTour.
Following on her victory in Le Samyn des Dames and second in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Blaak topped Gracie Elvin (Orica-AIS) and Ladies Tour of Qatar winner Trixi Worrack (Canyon SRAM), but it was fourth-placed Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv) who will take over the WorldTour lead after round 1 winner, world champion Lizzie Armitstead, abandoned the race due to illness.
Blaak, Elvin, Worrack and Van der Breggen changed up the usual tactics for the Dutch race, which features a series of cobblestone sections in the first half, then a circuit that traverses the man-made VAM-berg twice before the finishing circuit.
In recent years, the VAM-berg has been the launching pad for the successful breakaways, but this time it was the final cobblestone sprint that fractured the peloton and created the winning move.
Blaak pushed the pace to claim the pavé sprint with 61km to go, and once she was joined by Elvin, Worrack, and Van der Breggen, all of the major teams except Wiggle-High5 were represented.
A number of crashes in the chasing group only served to extend their lead to over two minutes by the time they crested the VAM-berg for the final time, and it became clear they would stay away until the finish.
The four worked together smoothly until the final circuit, when all were on high alert for attacks. Van der Breggen tried a small surge coming into the final kilometer, but was deftly marked by Blaak. It wasn't until the final bend that Elvin attempted to surprise the others with an early sprint, but Blaak was too powerful, and ran her down before the line.
As Blaak celebrated her victory, Worrack and Van der Breggen fought to the line, and the German took the final podium spot with a well-timed bike throw.
Van der Breggen, the only rider of the four to feature in Strade Bianche, the opening WorldTour round, where she was fifth, took over the WorldTour lead from Armitstead, who remains second overall.
To subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Chantal Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team | 3:36:13 |
2 | Gracie Elvin (Aus) Orica-AIS | |
3 | Trixi Worrack (Ger) Canyon-SRAM | |
4 | Anna Van Der Breggen (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team | |
5 | Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Alé Cipollini | 0:01:49 |
6 | Shelley Olds (USA) Cylance Pro Cycling | |
7 | Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur | |
8 | Lauren Kitchen (Aus) Hitec Products | |
9 | Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Orica-AIS | |
10 | Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Liv-Plantur | |
11 | Sarah Roy (Aus) Orica-AIS | |
12 | Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM | |
13 | Lucinda Brand (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team | |
14 | Amy Pieters (Ned) Wiggle High5 | |
15 | Emily Collins (NZl) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
16 | Christine Majerus (Lux) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team | |
17 | Carmen Small (USA) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
18 | Roxane Fournier (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86 | |
19 | Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Lensworld-Zannata | |
20 | Monique Van De Ree (Ned) Lares-Waowdeals Women Cycling Team | |
21 | Anna Trevisi (Ita) Alé Cipollini | |
22 | Elizabeth Williams (Aus) Orica-AIS | |
23 | Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
24 | Emma Johansson (Swe) Wiggle High5 | |
25 | Lotta Lepist… (Fin) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
26 | Romy Kasper (Ger) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team | |
27 | Lauren Stephens (USA) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
28 | Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon-SRAM | |
29 | Kelly Druyts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Etixx-Guill D'or | |
30 | Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM | |
31 | Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team | |
32 | Anna Zita Maria Stricker (Ita) INPA - Bianchi | |
33 | Susanna Zorzi (Ita) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
34 | Ingrid Drexel (Mex) Astana Pro Team | |
35 | Megan Guarnier (USA) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team | |
36 | Kaat Van Der Meulen (Bel) Lensworld-Zannata | |
37 | Aude Biannic (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86 | |
38 | Emilie Moberg (Nor) Hitec Products | |
39 | Eugenia Bujak (Pol) BTC City Ljubljana | |
40 | Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Lensworld-Zannata | |
41 | Marta Tagliaferro (Ita) Alé Cipollini | |
42 | Kaat Hannes (Bel) Lensworld-Zannata | |
43 | Nikki Harris (GBr) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team | |
44 | Simona Frapporti (Ita) Hitec Products | |
45 | Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Canyon-SRAM | |
46 | Ilona Hoeksma (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team | |
47 | Roxane Knetemann (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team | |
48 | Sara Mustonen (Swe) Team Liv-Plantur | |
49 | Joelle Numainville (Can) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
50 | Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-SRAM | |
51 | Simona Bortolotti (Ita) Bepink | |
52 | Iris Slappendel (Ned) UnitedHealthcare Women | |
53 | Valerie Demey (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Etixx-Guill D'or | |
54 | Emilia Fahlin (Swe) Alé Cipollini | |
55 | Natalie Van Gogh (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team | |
56 | Willeke Knol (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
57 | Julie Leth (Den) Hitec Products | |
58 | Malgorzta Jasinska (Pol) Alé Cipollini | |
59 | Shara Gillow (Aus) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team | |
60 | Kelly Van Den Steen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Etixx-Guill D'or | |
61 | Ursa Pintar (Slo) BTC City Ljubljana | |
62 | Loren Rowney (Aus) Orica-AIS | |
63 | Clara Koppenburg (Ger) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
64 | Julia Soek (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur | |
65 | Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle High5 | |
66 | Tayler Wiles (USA) Orica-AIS | |
67 | Chloe Hosking (Aus) Wiggle High5 | |
68 | Lieselot Decroix (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
69 | Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Wiggle High5 | |
70 | Jolien D'hoore (Bel) Wiggle High5 | |
71 | Lara Vieceli (Ita) INPA - Bianchi | 0:04:35 |
DNF | Anouska Koster (Ned) Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team | |
DNF | Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) Boels Dolmans Cycling Team | |
DNF | Thea Thorsen (Nor) Hitec Products | |
DNF | Janicke Gunvaldsen (Nor) Hitec Products | |
DNF | Valentina Scandolara (Ita) Cylance Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Cylance Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Doris Schweizer (Swi) Cylance Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Cylance Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Alison Tetrick (USA) Cylance Pro Cycling | |
DNF | Lauren Hall (USA) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
DNF | Lauren Komanski (USA) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
DNF | Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
DNF | Brianna Walle (USA) Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank | |
DNF | Kyara Stijns (Ned) Team Liv-Plantur | |
DNF | Molly Weaver (GBr) Team Liv-Plantur | |
DNF | Coryn Rivera (USA) UnitedHealthcare Women | |
DNF | Diana Pe„Uela (Col) UnitedHealthcare Women | |
DNF | Annie Ewart (Can) UnitedHealthcare Women | |
DNF | Abigail Mickey (USA) UnitedHealthcare Women | |
DNF | Katie Hall (USA) UnitedHealthcare Women | |
DNF | Ellen Skerritt (Aus) Alé Cipollini | |
DNF | Coralie Demay (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86 | |
DNF | Charlotte Bravard (Fra) Poitou-Charentes.Futuroscope.86 | |
DNF | Lex Albrecht (Can) Bepink | |
DNF | Lenore Pipes (Gum) Bepink | |
DNF | Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Bepink | |
DNF | Tereza Medvedova (Svk) Bepink | |
DNF | Kseniia Dobrynina (Rus) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Fanny Riberot (Fra) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Natalya Sokovnina (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Svetlana Vasilieva (Rus) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Anouk Rijff (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
DNF | Chantal Hoffmann (Lux) Lotto Soudal Ladies | |
DNF | Jip Van Den Bos (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team | |
DNF | Janneke Ensing (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team | |
DNF | Esra Tromp (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team | |
DNF | Ganna Solovei (Ukr) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Team | |
DNF | Anna Plichta (Pol) BTC City Ljubljana | |
DNF | Jelena Eric (Srb) BTC City Ljubljana | |
DNF | Olena Pavlukhina (Aze) BTC City Ljubljana | |
DNF | Mia Radotic (Cro) BTC City Ljubljana | |
DNF | Winanda Spoor (Ned) Lensworld-Zannata | |
DNF | Maaike Polspoel (Bel) Lensworld-Zannata | |
DNF | Demmy Druyts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Etixx-Guill D'or | |
DNF | Jessy Druyts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Etixx-Guill D'or | |
DNF | Gilke Croket (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Etixx-Guill D'or | |
DNF | Sara Olsson (Swe) INPA - Bianchi | |
DNF | Angela Maffeis (Ita) INPA - Bianchi | |
DNF | Claudia Cretti (Ita) INPA - Bianchi | |
DNF | Michela Pavin (Ita) INPA - Bianchi | |
DNF | Kelly Markus (Ned) Lares-Waowdeals Women Cycling Team | |
DNF | Lotte Van Hoek (Ned) Lares-Waowdeals Women Cycling Team | |
DNF | Eileen Roe (GBr) Lares-Waowdeals Women Cycling Team | |
DNF | Pia De Quint (Bel) Lares-Waowdeals Women Cycling Team | |
DNF | Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Can) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
DNF | Nicole Hanselmann (Swi) Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling Team | |
DNF | Ilaria Bonomi (Ita) Bepink | |
DNF | Dorleta Eskamendi Gil (Spa) Lares-Waowdeals Women Cycling Team |
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Cycling on your period: harness the power of your hormones and go with the flow
Everything you need to know about cycling on your period, the menstrual cycle, and working with your body instead of against it -
Anthony Roux suffers multiple fractures in training crash
Groupama-FDJ rider out for weeks with shoulder blade, rib, neck vertebrae and lung injuries -
Shimano S-Phyre RC902 road shoe review
The revamp of Shimano's top-end kicks is more than just a facelift -
Paris-Nice stage 2 - Live coverage
All the action as the race heads south and exposes itself to potential crosswinds
Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy
Thank you for signing up to Cycling News. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.