ROUBAIX (France) – If last Sunday at the Tour of Flanders we were impressed the gaze of Elisa Longo Borghini before departure, this morning in Denain he had those same eyes Lotte Kopeky. The world champion is always very focused and determined, but this time she was truly scary.
Extremely tight rainbow body that highlighted every muscle fiberAnd those glasses, resting on his helmet as he wandered between the bus and the signing podium, revealed a chilling look.
«This was one of the big goals of the season – his partner told us Barbara Guarischi after the finish – we really wanted it, and we wanted it with Lotte. Today we raced as a real team. Always united, always compact."
Flemish ghosts?
Yet the race did not seem to be taking a very positive turn for the Sd Worx-Protime. Lorraine Wiebes He was struggling, and Kopecky, as we'd seen in recent Flemish races, kept pushing, but without making a difference. Then he faded in the final stages.
«No – continues Guarischi – the race went as we wanted. Redemption? I'd say it's true that something didn't work well in the last few races, But precisely for this reason, as I said before, we behaved like a real team. Legs aren't always the same, and every race has its own story. Today, however, it wouldn't have escaped us. We hoped to have Wiebes in front in the finale, so as to let Lotte run more covered, also because there were very fast girls, but in hindsight, it went well that way."
Once we entered the velodrome, among the "other fast girls" there was also Elisa Balsamo. Her presence in that group gave us hope that his inspiration brought back the Roubaix Women's cycling in Italy after the success of Elisa Longo Borghini two years agoBut from the edge of the track we saw Kopecky's fierce gaze again, or rather his expression, since this time his glasses were lowered.
Feeling Koepcky
For a while it looked like a two-way sprint: Elisa versus Lotte. Before the final bend, Balsamo turns around, as if looking for Kopecky. The world champion is behind, then he goes up the bend and She dives like a hawk. In the final straight, she goes twice as fast as the others. In person, and even more so in profile, this difference in speed was astonishing.
"I felt really good today," Kopecky said. "I had a great connection with the bike, my body, and the team. Everyone was really good. Elena Cecchini put me in the lead on the first cobblestone section. What can I say? I'm happy. I really wanted this race."
Kopecky was a real sphinx even when she had a mechanical failure 60 kilometers from the finish. It took him a second to get back to the front of the pack.. He showed his hungry determination again.
Podium of honor
After the podium, Elisa Balsamo stops to talk with us. She's tired, a little happy, a little disappointed. A winner like her can't be entirely content with a second-place finish. Even if it's a tough second-place finish.
«It's normal that after the arrival there is a bit of disappointment – says the athlete of the Lidl Trek A second place at Roubaix for now makes me think that I need to believe in myself more. At the start of the race, I never would have said I'd be here playing. That means I'll try again next year."
Balsamo then went on to talk about the race and the excellent work his team did. They're increasingly a flagship team. Even without the two winners of the previous Roubaix, Longo Borghini and Deignan, they took control of the race and didn't make many mistakes, all things considered.
"I want to say a big thank you to all the girls, and to Ellen (Van Dijk, ed.) in particular, who was really strong today. We all did a great job. It was a very tough race. At the end we feared that Wiebes would return. They radioed to warn us they were at 18”. At that point Ellen started pulling and seeing that they weren’t gaining any more, we remained quite calm».
The wind had a significant impact. And Guarischi herself, who worked the first two hours, said that in the end, the wind made the race even more stressful, well before the cobblestones.
Two moments
But let's get back to Elisa Balsamo. And let's continue our analysis of her Roubaix. We point out that two moments in particular struck us: when she dropped off at the Carrefour de l'Arbre and when she turned around in the velodrome while the sprint was being launched. A gesture we saw from four meters away, no more. And it certainly had some meaning. Was he looking for Kopecky?
«No – explains Elisa – I actually wanted to take Marianne Vos's wheel because I thought it was the fastest. But then you know: in the sprints after such a long and tough race, it doesn't matter who is faster but who is fresher."
«As for the Carrefour de l'Arbre instead, when I pulled away, I was just a little bit over the edge. I had to give up a bit. I managed myself." This also explains her sprint. A Balsamo with the right legs, especially in a velodrome, she who is also a track cyclist, doesn't sprint like that. She was almost sitting down.
After a noticeable skid coming out of a corner on that same cobblestone section, we thought she had a mechanical problem, a puncture. Instead, it was a matter of her legs. But even in that situation, Elisa proved to be a champion. She didn't panic. She turned around, saw Giorgi climbing fast, and made the most of those few seconds to "catch up."
Vs. 50 52
We also asked her if her choice to use the The 52-tooth single chainring wasn't too risky compared to Kopecky's 50-tooth single chainring. As if to say that those two extra teeth had "cooked" her legs a little.
«No, no – explains Elisa – In hindsight, I think it was the right choice, as with all the other materials. The team has done a great job in this regard as well these days. I'm absolutely happy with this decision."
And speaking of materials, it's worth noting that Lidl-Trek and Sd-Worx were the only teams to finish six out of seven athletes, placing two in the top ten. As with the men's race, the higher the level, the more pronounced certain differences become.
