AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step travelled to West-Flanders on Wednesday for Dwars door Vlaanderen, the final test before the Tour of Flanders this coming Sunday. Ally Wollaston, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, Britt Knaven, Mireia Benito, Justine Ghekiere and Romy Kasper started the short but intense race with some famous climbs and cobbles. All riders finished the race with Ashleigh as the team’s fastest finisher in tenth place.
“It was a challenging day for the team because of the last-minute roster changes because of previous crashes and illness. Some riders were called up last minute so I am grateful we could start with a full team,” said Ashleigh.
“We started in good spirits and really used today as a leg opener for next Sunday. Sadly, Justine had a lot of bad luck with two flat tyres at crucial moments. The chasing really cost her in the end. Ally raced her first race on European roads and made a good transition from the track. Britt, Romy and Mireia rode well at the beginning of the race,” the South African analysed.
“I made it into the final split of eleven riders but was outnumbered. There were multiple teams with the numbers there,” she continued. “There were many attacks and counterattacks so I had to try and do my best. I entered the final kilometre in the position to sprint for a podium but I was boxed in.”
“I was happy with today’s race because it’s been two years since I raced the cobbled classics. It’s great to be back racing in Flanders and I also used today to make some final tweaks to my set-up like tyre pressure and saddle height. Today we had bad luck as a team, but we rode well at the beginning and can be proud of our efforts.”
