Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling’s Giorgia Bronzini sprinted to victory once again in the Knokke-Heist to Bredene race, the second round of the Lotto Cycling Cup, on a windy day on Belgium’s North Sea coast. The two-time World road champion was delivered into the headwind finishing straight by a dominant display from her teammates, giving her the perfect launchpad to take her third win of the season so far. Second place went to Belgian champion Jolien D’hoore (Lotto-Belisol), with Martina Zwick (Koga Ladies) third.
“It was windy in the final kilometre, but I had two of my Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling teammates in front of me in Beatrice Bartelloni and Lauren Kitchen,” explained Bronzini after her victory. “Lauren was the last one to leave me at 300 metres, but I waited a moment because it was so windy, and I think that the other riders were waiting for me to go.
“I began with 200 metres to go with my maximum power and it was good,” she added.
The 112.8km race, which consisted of a winding 52.3km section along the coast, followed by five laps of an elongated 12.1km circuit, saw Bronzini get away as part of an early breakaway group as the peloton split on a long section of cobbles. The peloton was soon back together again, however, with Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling able to keep control of a number of attacks as the race neared the finish.
“Today I felt good all day,” Bronzini said. “It was a hard day because in the first part of the race there was a break with seven riders; it was windy and I was alone with other riders that had teammates with them. After the others caught up it was a big group and I was feeling better because my teammates were there.
“We talked many times during the race, and they asked me what I would like to do, and it was perfect.”
The race was subject to several attempted breakaways as it continually changed direction in the stiff North Sea wind, but the riders of Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling were able to keep the peloton together into the finish and lead out Bronzini to victory.
“They finished it off well,” said Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling directeur sportif Simon Cope. “It was a really windy race, and to have six riders there at the end was definitely a bonus.
“Into the headwind nobody was doing anything,” he explained, “and when it turned right [into the tailwind section] it always split but we were always represented. Then they took it on coming into the finish and teed Giorgia up really well.”
“Today I would like to say thanks to Beatrice and Amy Roberts,” Bronzini echoed. “Because they are so young, and they did such strong work.”
