Ronde van Drenthe Women - Live Coverage

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the second round of the 2022 Women's WorldTour - Ronde van Drenthe.

We're in Assen, Holland for the second round of the Women's WorldTour and the 14th edition of the Ronde van Drenthe. The race starts at 12:15 CET and the 155.9km course includes 6 Cobble sections and 4 ascents of the VAM-berg climb 

There are 112 riders on the startlist including last year's winner Lorena Wiebes - can the sprinter back up last year's victory today? 

The riders have signed on and will soon be ready to go!

Too hot to handle? The women were reportedly given oven mitts at the team presentation...

WWT team Movistar will sit out this round, here's why:

For further details on the race click here.

Unfortunately, BikeExchange's Ruby Roseman-Gannon will not start today due to illness. 

And they're off! The race is underway 

155km to go

This race is typically one for the sprinters. Winner of last week's Strade Bianche, the first round of the Women's World Tour, Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx, is also a favourite  as is World Champion, Trek-Segafredo's Elisa Balsamo

The official start has been given and the race is on!

Former winner Marta Bastianelli (UAE) is also racing. The Italian is in great form and already has three wins under her belt this season.  

The riders have a flat 80km before they reach the circuit which includes the four ascents of the VAM-Berg 

After almost 10km of racing, the peloton are all together 

145km to go

Attack from Kerry Jonker of Andy Schleck - CP NVST - Immo Losch

Julie Leth of Uno-X has abandoned the race - the reason is unknown at this stage

The gap to lone leader, Jonker is 1:45 

6km to go until the first cobbled sector 

Jonker's lead is now 2 minutes as Trek Segafredo lead the peloton 

Jonker's lead is now down to 1'30"

122km to go

Joker is riding solo into a headwind but her advantage is still 1'45"

118km to go

After 35km of racing the situation remains the same

25-year-old Jonker holds dual Australian and South African nationality and changed from the former to the latter in 2019. This is her second year on a UCI team having raced for Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux last year.

She has represented South Africa at the previous two world championships.

Third cobbled sector coming up! It is 400m long. Ellen Van Dijk of Trek-Segafredo (who recently won the Bloeizone Fryslan Tour) is on the front of the peloton.

Jonker's lead is now just under 1 minute

The peloton on the third cobbled sector 

Puncture for Lisa Klein (Canyon//SRAM)

Kerry Jonker has been caught

There are splits in the peloton. Here is the second group passing through the town of Oodorn 

One cobbled sector left before the race enters the circuit

98km to go

The gap between the two groups is 10 seconds 

95km to go

The riders are about to reach the 6th and final cobbled sector. There are 19 seconds between the two groups now 

UCI eSports world champion Loes Adegeest is in the front group riding for the Dutch National team

20km to go until the first ascent of the VAM-Berg

The VAM-Berg awaits 

In case you didn't know...

The two groups have joined back together, it's a big peloton heading towards the circuit

Half way through! 

78km to go

All together heading towards the VAM-Berg

The first ascent of the VAM-Berg is only a few km away for the peloton now - will we see splits form? 

The peloton are on the climb 

Crash for Marjolein Van 't Geloof who rides for Le Col Wahoo but is racing for the Dutch national squad today. She is back on the bike and in the cars 

The climb, or rather Ellen van Dijk's pace over it, has caused some damage already

Around 25 riders remain in front 

24 seconds between the front group of 25 riders and the chase group

The front group contains:

Ellen van Dijk, Elisa Balsamo, and Chloe Hosking (Trek Segafredo), Lotte Kopecky, Christine Majerus, Marlen Reusser, and Elena Cecchini (SD Worx), Jip van den Bos (Jumbo-Visma), Marta Bastianelli (UAE), Alison Jackson, Marta Jaskulska and Jeanne Korevaar (Liv Racing Xstra), Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM), Arianna Fidanza, Nina Kessler and Georgia Baker (BikeExchange), Susanne Andersen (Uno-x), Lorena Wiebes Pffeifer Georgi, and Floortje Mackaij (Team DSM), Chiara Consonni (Valcar Travel & Service), Eugenia Duval (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope)

The 'cobbles classification' has been taken by Romy Kasper of Jumbo-Visma 

1km until the second ascent of the VAM-Berg

Two riders have a lead of 11 seconds: Teuntje Beekhuis of Jumbo-Visma and Marta Jaskulska of Liv Racing Xstra 

The two are caught 

The chase group has almost caught the front group 

Jumbo Visma and SD Worx are controlling the front 

Audrey Cordon Ragot comes to the head of the peloton for Trek-Segafredo. The riders are spread across the narrow road 

17 seconds between the chase group and the lead group with Parkhotel Valkenburg and BikeExchange working together at the front of G2

9 seconds

Swiss national champion Marlen Reusser is pulling the front group with WWT leader Lotte Kopecky on her wheel 

The second group have almost made contact with the front now. But how much will the effort have taken out of them as they approach the VAM-Berg again?

The groups are back together now as Trek-Segafredo take to the front with Team DSM and SD Worx close by 

41km to go

Jumbo-Visma and BikeExchange now on the front 

Big pull from Marlen Reusser as the peloton approach the bottom of the VAM-Berg. It's already very strung out before the climb has even started

Some of the riders who were part of the chase group are suffering on the climb including Teniel Campbell of Team BikeExchange 

Attack from Elise Chabbey - what is a WWT race without one?

Once again splits have formed over the climb 

Now Riejanne Markus of Jumbo-Visma puts in a move 

A group of four have a gap: Ellen van Dijk, Elena Cecchini, Romy Kasper, and Floortje Mackaij

The group have a 9 second gap 

36km to go

BikeExchange and Canyon//SRAM have missed out on this move, they are chasing hard

The quartet have been caught  

Counter attack from Christine Majerus causes a split 

A frustrated Riejanne Markus tries to encourage the group to work but the momentum has gone out of the move. Markus's teammate Jip van den Bos counters from the same group 

 Van den Bos is joined by Reusser and Mischa Bredewold of Parkhotel Valkenburg

Alison Jackson (Liv Racing Xstra) and Pffeifer Georgi (Team DSM) have also joined the front group

Trek-Segafredo have missed out on this move and are chasing alongside BikeExchange

Sofia Bertizzolo is putting in a huge turn to bring the race back together for Team UAE leader Marta Bastianelli

The peloton is directed in the wrong direction which causes a crash in which Eugenie Duval of FDJ and Ellen van Dijk are implicated 

Ellen van Dijk and Clara Copponi of FDJ, who was also caught up in the crash, are back in the peloton 

The five leaders have a 35 second gap

After a hard chase from Trek-Segafredo and Canyon//SRAM the gap is down to 9 seconds 

Huge pull by Audrey Cordon Ragot of Trek-Segafredo working for sprinter Chloe Hosking 

Puncture for Lotte Kopecky

Kopecky gets a quick bike change and a push from none other than Anna van der Breggen!

The peloton is all together now as Trek Segafredo and Canyon//SRAM continue to work on the front

20km to go

Kopecky is in the cars and chasing back to the peloton 

Kopecky is back in the bunch 

Lorena Wiebes also suffered a mechanical and is chasing back to the peloton 

Wiebes is back in the bunch but how much will the chase have taken out of the legs of the defending champion? 

After her earlier crash, Ellen van Dijk is back on the front and pulling for Balsamo and Hosking 

The reduced peloton are now approaching the final ascent of the VAM-berg

15km to go

Riejanne Markus leads up the climb with Ellen van Dijk close behind 

A split has formed as they crest the climb 

It is still Markus of Jumbo Visma on the front. Marta Bastianelli is behind with Ellen van Dijk, Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Balsamo also in the group

Ellen van Dijk takes a turn on the front out the group in an attempt to force a bigger gap but quickly stops and the group look around at one another 

12.5km to go

The small splits have come back together to form a reduced front group 

Attack from Human Powered Health with Anouska Koster, Christine Makerus, and Sarah Roy coming across 

Floortje Mackaij of Team DSM is working to pull the group back 

Sprinters Elisa Balsamo, Marta Bastianelli, Lorena Wiebes, and Lotte Kopecky are perfectly positioned in this group 

Just under 10km to go, will the sprinter's teams be able to keep the race together? 

Behind the four leaders the two groups have merged 

Nina Buijsman of Human Powered Health, Sarah Roy of Canyon//SRAM, Christine Majerus of SD Worx, and Anouska Koster of Jumbo-Visma have 16 seconds 

6.9km to go

DSM and Trek-Segafredo are sharing the work at the front of the peloton as they try to bring back the front quartet who are now in their sights 

4.8km to go

The gap is down to 11 seconds after efforts from Pffiefer Georgi and Ellen van Dijk 

Anouska Koster tries to take a flier from the front group but Sarah Roy closes her down 

The front four are nearly caught and all of the favourites for a sprint are in the bunch including Lorena Wiebes, Elisa Balsamo Lotte Kopecky, Alice Barnes, Marta Bastianelli

1km to go

Three of the four are caught as Koster tries to go solo but is also absorbed by the peloton

We are in for a sprint!

Chloe Hosking leads out Elisa Balsamo but it's Lorena Wiebes who carries more speed across the line to take the victory

Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) takes the win with Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) in second and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in third

Today's win marks Wiebes' 38th victory as a pro

WWT leader Lotte Kopecky on whether she is satisfied with third place: "I don't know. I have to watch the sprint again and see what I did wrong there, not completely."

Second-place Elisa Balsamo:

"Today the team did a great job, we were working from the first km and the team was amazing and this second place is okay, we always race to win but today Lorena was stronger." 

ICYMI read our full race report here.

Thanks for following our live text coverage of Ronde van Drenthe! Be sure to join us for the next round of the UCI Women's WorldTour, Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio, next Sunday, 20th March.