After Jenno Berckmoes two weeks ago at the Renewi Tour, Lotto-Intermarché has another hero on the Muur. Linda Riedmann won the very first women’s edition of the Muur Classic today. “We had a clear plan: to race attractively and attack a lot,” says Riedmann.
There was already an edition for elite men and juniors, and now the Muur Classic also has a women’s race. Three times up the Oude Steenweg, two ascents of the Muur and a finish on the Vesten: that was what awaited the riders in this inaugural edition. The brand-new race immediately has an impressive first name on its roll of honour. Linda Riedmann crowned herself Queen of the Muur on the Vesten after a thrilling battle.
“We knew from the start that we wanted to make it a hard race: to race attractively and attack a lot,” Riedmann looks back. Sandrine Tas immediately put that plan into action. Tas attacked early and spent a long time solo at the front. “Behind her, the pace was incredibly high every time we hit the Muur, but in between it kept slowing down again. That meant we still went into the finale and the final passage with a fairly large group.”
The Lotto-Intermarché Ladies, however, played the team game to perfection. “The team made sure we were perfectly positioned throughout the afternoon. Especially heading into the final ascent of the Muur, I got the perfect lead-out. On the final part of the climb, I had to let the first riders go, but I managed to get back to them on the descent. That was exactly when Sandrine was caught, so the two of us ended up in a group of seven fighting for the victory.
“In the final kilometres, Sandrine put herself completely at the service of the team and went to the front. She set the pace towards the bottom of the final climb, exactly as we had planned beforehand. I just had to stay patient and wait. With 100 metres to go, I launched my sprint.”
And successfully so: Riedmann held off the competition to claim her second victory of the season. “I’m incredibly happy with this win. But above all, a huge compliment to everyone in the team.”
