News & Racing
Reactions and injury updates from the Tour of Flanders.
Cor Vos
Holy Week is now halfway done, with a superb edition of the Tour of Flanders behind us and hopefully a similarly incredible Paris-Roubaix Femmes to come. This will be my first time on the ground at the Hell of the North, and to say I am excited wouldn’t paint an accurate picture. My bags are already packed. I am ready to go.
Last week, before the Tour of Flanders, I spoke with Letizia Borghesi about her new team, her love of the Classics, and why she is considered Belgian/Italian, and I also got the chance to talk to Franziska Koch about being on FDJ United-Suez, the belief the team has helped her realize in herself, and what makes the Classics so special. Both of those interviews are coming to Escape Collective this week, so hopefully you are as excited as I am for Paris-Roubaix.
First things first: Medical updates
There was a worrying number of crashes at the Tour of Flanders that negatively impacted the race (maybe not the outcome, but definitely the viewing experience).
So far, here is what we know:
Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) – broken wrist, will need surgery
Marlen Reusser (Movistar) – lumbar vertebrae fracture
Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) – bloody nose and sore hip, otherwise okay
*Unfortunate update on Brodie: 20 minutes after this was published, she announced that she sustained a fractured pelvis. Very sad news, fingers crossed the recovery is smooth!
Elena Cecchini (SD Worx-Protime) – broken pinky finger
Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) – fractured radius
Racing continues…
At Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, April 8!
Paris-Roubaix might be the next big event, but in the meantime, we have the UCI 1.Pro Scheldeprijs to tide us over. This one-day Classic is a sprinter’s dream. Of the five editions, Lorena Wiebes has won four and Elisa Balsamo one (last year). It’s unlikely we see Wiebes line up this year, with Paris-Roubaix as a huge target for the Dutch champion, and considering her crash at Flanders. Could this mean another win for Charlotte Kool? She has been looking incredible lately: seventh at In Flanders Fields and Dwars door Vlaanderen is nothing to sniff at. Other sprinters like Lara Gillespie will have something to say, as well.
The Basics
When: Wednesday, April 8 at 11:45 CET
Where: Schoten to Schoten (130 km)
Live coverage: 🇦🇺 SBS @ 22:00 AEST, 🇪🇺 HBOMax @ 13:00 CEST, 🇬🇧TNT/Discovery+ @ 12:00 BST, 🇺🇸🇨🇦 FloBikes @ 4:00 PDT
The favourites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Charlotte Kool, Chiara Consonni, Lara Gillespie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Femke Markus, Clara Copponi, Fleur Moors, Nienke Veenhoven
⭐️⭐️⭐️: Georgia Baker, Marta Lach
⭐️⭐️: Lauretta Hanson, Lieke Nooijen
⭐️: Maggie Coles-Lyster
*Star ratings are based on early versions of the startlist and subject to change! For the full start list, check here closer to the race.
The route
It’s flat. As always, crosswinds are possible.
A full preview of Paris-Roubaix Femmes will be available later this week!
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