Lorena Wiebes is currently the fastest sprinter in women’s cycling. So it came as no surprise to her to see the Dutch star beat the crowd at Sunday’s prestigious Amstel Gold Race.
What was surprising was that Wieves still didn’t win the race, even though the SD Worx Protime rider thought he had won the race. So much so that Wieves started celebrating before he actually crossed the finish line. That premature celebration of hers ended up costing her dearly.
Marianne Voss of Visma-Lease a Bike was able to close in on Weaves within the final meters. After his fellow Dutchman sped off in a celebratory pose, looking over his right shoulder but never actually checking his left shoulder, Vos made a last-ditch attempt to beat Wieves on the line. He put himself in a position to perform a bicycle throw.
The win was Voss’ second in the Amstel Gold Race in 2021. Meanwhile, Wiebs lost the race in heartbreaking fashion and will have to wait at least another year before adding a classic to his already impressive Palmare.
“I made a really stupid mistake,” the 25-year-old said after his goal.
Wiebs’ ill-timed celebration is not the first of its kind in professional cycling. Big names like Julian Alaphilippe and Wout van Aert lost their races in similar fashion, but Jasper Philipsen and Annemiek van Vleuten come to mind, but they won despite actually finishing second. He praised the players who thought so.
“It’s something every cyclist has experienced at least once,” Wiebs said of his failure. “That’s a good learning point. Normally I’m always sprinting. I hope it doesn’t happen the same way next time.”
