Ronde van Drenthe Preview – 2017 WWT Round 2

Mar 9
cyclical

Of all the most peculiar landscape features in pro cycling, a refuse dump has got to be just about the weirdest; a case of discard it and they will come.

The Ronde van Drenthe, Saturday’s second round of the 2017 Women’s World Tour, races over the VAMberg, a short climb with steep pitches which acts as a springboard towards the end of what is often an attritional race.

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The fact that the VAMberg comprises years’ worth of refuse packed into a nicely contoured ascent adds an odd but endearing twist to the Netherlands’ take on cycling and the environment. The Ronde crosses the VAMberg three times; very early on, and then twice twoards the end, after six nasty cobbled sections have been raced.

Add in the possibility of wind and/or rain, nasty road surfaces (often narrow lanes overshadowed by trees and still holding the winter’s mud and debris) plus the fact that the World Tour leader’s jersey is up for grabs and you have a spectacular 138-kilometere event.

Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5) are currently joint QoM on Strava with a blistering 43 second ascent on the VAMberg, putting out a maximum of 571 watts, tied for time with Sunweb’s Lucinda Brand.

Brand and Cordon-Ragot set their times in the Ronde van Drenthe 2015, with Elisa L-B matching them in the following day’s Drentse Acht van Westerveld.

Last year’s race saw an elite four-up sprint for the line taken by Chantal Blaak, who returns to defend her title with a strong Boels Domans team whichincludes a road debut with the squad for Anna van der Breggen, while Lizzie Deignan opts out.

Top favourites beyond Blaak and van der Breggen are likely to include Marianne Vos (WM3), Kirsten Wild (Cylance), Cervelo-Bigla’s Lotta Lepisto, and Jolien D’hoore supported by Wiggle High5 team-mate Longo Borghini.