The sprint is the final act of a cycling race in which a large number of sprinters attempt the right move, but In the end, she always wins, Lorena Wiebes. For a few years now, and progressively, the outcome of every sprint contested by the Dutch rider from SD Worx-Protime could be summarised in this way.
The current European champion needs no further introduction, but it is worth remembering her season. Wiebes' taximeter currently counts 23 seasonal victories (which become one more if you add the general Simac Ladies Tour) for a total of 118 in his career. This year more than in the past, her opponents tried in every way to surprise her when it came to a more or less narrow sprint, always obtaining places from second downwardsWhen she was beaten, it was due to a long-range play or a finisher's shot. Considering that Lorena is still 26 years old and hungry for growth, We analyzed this supremacy with its sports director Gian Paolo Mondini. An excursus based on data, approach, and simplicity..
Aside from the Simac time trial, seven out of seven sprint victories came in the last eight days of racing. Can we describe Wiebes in a new way?
I think the numbers speak for themselves. In addition to the road victories, you have to count the points classification jerseys. Giro Women's cycling e Tour Femmes which certify its solidity in stage races. Indeed With the overall victory at Simac, Lorena jumped to the top of the world rankings, overtaking VolleringA sprinter in front of a Grand Tour woman. If you think about it, it's quite atypical, but at the same time it's significant what kind of athlete Wiebes is.And it doesn't stop there…
What do you mean?
This year He also won a gravel World Series race and will also race in the World Championships in October which will be held practically at his home (in Limburg, ed.). And I was saying that it's not over because ten days later he will also compete in the world championships on the track in Santiago, Chile (scheduled for October 22nd to 26th, ed.) Lorena is a force of nature. She sets no limits and isn't afraid to try new specialties.
Both Guarischi and some of her rivals have always told us that Wiebes's first three seconds of the sprint are lightning fast. Is this her secret?
Barbara is her lead out and her roommate, she knows her well and she's right. Lorena has a blistering sprint at the start, because she has an incredible power-to-weight ratio. He's 60 kilograms, so he has to move very little weight in sprints.In those three seconds he's capable of gaining an eight-meter lead that becomes difficult to overcome. He recorded much higher power peaks, but we saw how doing a sprint with 1.200 watts of power still manages to beat the rivals. And then it's very aerodynamic.
This year, she's been truly unplayable for everyone, raising the bar even higher. What have you been working on?
Let's say that after being beaten last year by Kool at the Tour and on a few other occasions, Lorena wanted to improve further in many fundamentals. She is very methodical, precise, and loves to train. When she's out alone or with her teammates, she always includes 10-15 sprints in her training.I've worked a lot in men's cycling and I've never seen anything like this, even from men. The difference is right there and you can see the champion's headHe might not even do them or do fewer of them, since he wins 20 races a year anyway, but no, he still dedicates time to them.
Tactically, she also seemed even more careful. Is that true?
It must be said that when Lorena puts on her helmet, glasses and number on her back she becomes a sniper in certain races. He sees and reads the raceIn every race where there was nervousness or fans formed, she was always in the right positions. An example is the fans to the UAE Tour or the one we orchestrated at Giro Women's cycling in the Monselice stage or even recently at Simac. Lorena is good at not wasting energy and now knows how to handle herself even when she doesn't have a perfect lead out.
Does she want to become more complete? A modern sprinter like Mads Pedersen, if you'll accept the parallel?
I struggle to find comparisons between males in terms of characteristics, obviously making the necessary proportions. In terms of numbers, understood as victories and expressed values, it can be reminiscent of a Cavendish or Viviani. In reality Lorena can aim for many more races apparently far from herI'll give you an example here too. The Tour stage won by Mavi Garcia had a very challenging finish, and she won the sprint for second place very well, coming in just a few seconds behind.
So could we see it more competitive even where there is more climbing?
In this case the speech can take on different connotations. Lorena might start working more on the uphills just to figure out how to tackle it better, for a question of positioning in the group. Obviously, if he works too hard, he risks losing other qualities, such as explosiveness or speed. That said, I think that someone like Wiebes can hold her own in many classics like Flanders or Amstel (where it has already come second exulting at the photo finish, ed.) and maybe win them. In any case, it would be nice and right if they organized a world championship for sprinters, because Lorena deserves to wear a rainbow jersey.
As sometimes happens with Pogacar at the start of a race, do you have the impression that your opponents are already beaten when you're there?
I don't know, to me all our opponents seem calm, maybe for that very reason or maybe they're happy to get on the podium with Lorena. I must also admit that every now and then we see asome teams that prefer leave plenty of room for escape, even at the cost of not closing anymore, just to avoid sprinting against her. For the series, if SD Worx closes, good, otherwise the race ends like this.
We know it's a paradoxical question, but for Gian Paolo Mondini, how can Lorena Wiebes be beaten, and who could do it?
I don't know. Perhaps in a sprint that, for whatever reason, isn't launched at high speed, a strong leadout from behind might find the right card to beat her. Or a team that has two sprintersOne long part calls Lorena out into the open and the other uses her slipstream to pass her. I don't know, these are scenarios we're already aware of and want to avoid. However, if I have to name one, right now, I think that Chiara Consonni she is a sprinter who could beat LorenaIt would be a great sprint.
