ALL SET FOR DEBUTS AT ELMOS DWARS DOOR HET HAGELAND

For the first time, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto will take on Elmos Dwars Door Het Hageland, with Zoe Bäckstedt, Wilma Aintila, Nastya Kolesava and Maria Martins forming a fierce four-rider lineup on June 14. Like the team, none of the riders themselves have previously competed in this event since it was established for women in 2021.

The name ‘Hageland’ actually appears twice on the women’s calendar, referencing two different races: Fenix Omloop van het Hageland and Elmos Dwars Door Het Hageland. Both are named after the Flemish Brabant region – a peaceful, rolling area of vineyard-covered countryside situated to the east of Leuven. Although they each begin in Aarschot, the similarities end there, making it all the more important to recognise the difference between these two vastly contrasting fixtures on the calendar.

On March 1, the ‘Opening Weekend’ edition of Hageland sees the peloton head south for multiple laps of a relatively straightforward circuit, combining punchy climbs with longer drags on cobbles and classic Belgian concrete-slabbed roads. Conversely, a quick glance at the upcoming Elmos Dwars Door Het Hageland course reveals what looks more like a page of frenzied doodling – largely because it’s been meticulously devised to produce just the right amount of bike-racing bedlam.

Central to the 125km formula are 16 off-road sectors, often coupled with or followed closely by inclines, forming a rolling gauntlet that kicks off as early as kilometre six.

The race tends to reach boiling point in the second half, as the peloton transitions from 1.5 laps of a scribbled opener to 2.5 laps of a finishing circuit, totalling 63 kilometres. Each lap builds to a finish-line crescendo atop the cobbled citadel climb in Diest, and more often than not, several riders arrive together at the base for a final 600m assault. Victory goes to the rider who can perfectly time their detonation of a sharp acceleration and carry it all the way into the citadel’s shadow, powering through the leg-sapping, rhythm-wrecking cobbles on deceptively punishing 4-5% gradients.

Some may say it sounds like the perfect course for Roubaix reveller and U23 Cyclo-Cross World Champion Zoe, or the team’s joker card – Nastya, whose unassuming character often conceals a scrappy, opportunistic edge and a knack for thriving in classic-style chaos. 

Regardless, it’ll be a busy threefold Saturday for the entire CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto set-up, with havoc in Hageland just one part of the action. The Generation team will be tackling a pivotal mountain stage two at the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées, while Tour de Suisse reaches stage 3 – a day delicately poised between a sprint and a breakaway.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Elmos Dwars door het Hageland | UCI 1.1 | Saturday June 14  | 124.6km | 883m elevation | Start 11:45 CET – fastest finish 15:00 CET.

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