Kirsten Wild wins women's Dwars door Vlaanderen
Team Argos-Shimano clearly set out to control the 77 kilometre race from the start. There were a few attacks, but no riders managed to establish much of a gap without a Team Argos-Shimano rider being represented in the break. In the final 30 kilometres it became clear that the race would come down to a bunch sprint and the teams set out to launch their sprinters in race final.
When asked to comment on today's Dwars door Vlaanderen race victory Wild said "It’s amazing to win a classic race like Dwars door Vlaanderen. It’s always good to win, but to win like this after great teamwork is especially rewarding."
"We controlled the whole race and everyone was very motivated. There wasn't a single break without one of us (Team Argos-Shimano riders) in it. In the final three kilometres we started with the lead-out. It was so fast that no one could get between us. We were the first three riders through the final corner and after that it was up to me to finish the job," Wild continued.
"We knew we would have the best shot with Kirsten in a bunch sprint. With one and a half laps to go Kirsten punctured, but the team took good care of her with Elke Gebhardt giving her a wheel. In the end we knew it would be a bunch sprint and the women put together a lead-out train that took Kirsten to the win. It’s really good to see how you can dominate the race with strong teamwork," Argos-Shimano team manager Cees-Jan van der Zweep explained.
Commenting on her chances in Sunday's women's Gent-Wevelgem 2013 Wild said "Gent-Wevelgem will be a bit tougher as there are more cobbles and hills in it. Of course we will go for the win, but we’ll see how it goes."
