CHIARA CLINCHES THIRD AT SCHELDEPRIJS

In one of the few races where a bunch sprint is almost guaranteed, Chiara Consonni powered to third place in an always fiercely contested Scheldeprijs finale.

“The race was really good – there was no wind and the weather was great, so it was nice to race. I think we raced really well all together. We tried to go on the attack with Zoe in the last couple of sectors to try out a different plan. Then we caught the breakaway in the last 2km. I tried to do my sprint and maybe I was a bit too late, but in the end I’m really happy with the podium.”

Like all the other Belgian Spring races, the weather for Scheldeprijs was sublime, with warm temperatures and calm conditions. On a course where wind is the only real factor that can shift the narrative, a large group finish was never really in doubt.

Chiara sat in the box seat, third wheel going into the final 400m, tucked in behind victor Elisa Balsamo (LTK) and her lead-out rider. As Balsamo launched up the left with 200m, Chiara looked to come through the middle but couldn’t make up the ground, while Charlotte Kool (TPP) had already surged up the right to secure second.

Chiara reflected further on her decision-making in the final metres:

“In the sprint you have to follow your instinct, and sometimes it’s not correct. But I was in the best position, on Elisa’s wheel. I just waited too long to start my sprint, but third place is good and I’m feeling really ready for Saturday.”

For today’s flat, windless and relatively uneventful 130-kilometre course, the team looked to make the most of the one section of light cobbles on the 17km finishing circuit. It stood out as the only real chance to shake things up, and they did just that.

With 25km to go, Zoe Bäckstedt attacked on the 1km-long Broekstraat sector and eked out a small lead with Marie Schreiber (SDW), soon joined by another seven riders. The group built a maximum gap of 25 seconds. While they weren’t caught until the final 2km, there was a lack of full commitment, with most teams having a preferred sprinter waiting in the bunch.

Zoe launched another move with 1.5km to go, but her breakaway companions were wise to it, and she was ultimately swallowed up as the peloton entered the throes of the bunch sprint.

Chiara noted that this was the best scenario for CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto, with the team backing Zoe, who has a strong sprint in her own right. It forced other teams, like Picnic PostNL and Lidl–Trek, to burn matches in the chase and potentially spend more energy on what was otherwise a chaotic, yet relatively straightforward day.

As Chiara alluded to, her focus, along with Zoe’s, now shifts to Saturday when the fifth edition of the esteemed Paris Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift takes place – coincidentally marking the same vintage as today’s Scheldeprijs.