Jorgenson Takes Historic Win and Vos Denies Van Anrooij at Dwars door Vlaanderen

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The Flemish Holy Week continued Wednesday with the 78th edition of the men’s Dwars door Vlaanderen.

On the men’s side, the day ended early for some of the heavy favorites, including Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), and Biniam Girmay (Intermache Wanty), after a heavy crash collected more than half a dozen riders. But that left the door wide open for a handful of riders to duke it out off the front for most of the day.

American Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) secured a historic victory, becoming the first American to win the prestigious Flemish race. Jorgenson’s triumph came after a thrilling finale where he attacked with 7 kilometers to go, holding off the competition to cross the finish line alone at an average speed of 45.1 kilometers an hour.

This is the second big victory for Jorgenson this year, after winning the 82nd edition of Paris-Nice earlier this month.

“It’s unbelievable,” Jorgenson said moments after the race. “This whole season has been a dream. It’s surreal, actually.”

“As a team, our whole strategy is based around having numbers in the final, and there was a moment in the last cobbles where Tiesj was a little bit gapped,” he continued. “Thankfully, I waited for him because without him, I wouldn’t have won this race.”

Ever so close to his first WorldTour victory, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) won the final sprint between the rest of the leaders. Stefan Kung (Groupama–FDJ) rounded out the podium.

For the women, it was Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) who came out on top against Shiring van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) after a 10-kilometer two-women race to the finish. Vos launched her attack with under 200 meters to go, forcing Van Anrooij to follow. But, the Lidl-Trek rider couldn’t overtake Vos, who won by a bit more than a bike length.

In a rare heads-up loss, Lotte Kopecky was outsprinted by Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla-Jayco), who rounded out the podium.

“A lot has happened,” said Vos after the race. “There were attacks from the beginning, and then we had this neutral part where the race was neutralized, but then after the start was given again, and straight away, there were some new actions, and from the cobbled section, we had a new front group. The final I can’t really recall because so many things happened, but in the end, I was happy to be in a break with Shirin van Anrooij.”

How the men’s race unfolded

Under grey skies that cleared up toward the end of the day, the race covered 188.6 km of dry Flemish roads, eight cobbled sectors, and twelve climbs. As it typically does in the Flemish spring, the wind whipped all afternoon.

After a few early charges, an eleven-rider break established itself an hour into the race, putting a lead of nearly three minutes into an ever-thinning peloton.

Groupama-FDJ’s Laurence Pithie, who battled Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen in Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem, fell off the back of the break, one of the first to be dropped from the lead pack into what was a series of chasing gruppettos.

With seventy-some kilometers left, the peloton was strung out in almost a single paceline, nearly a half-kilometer long. From there, several riders launched attacks to try and catch the break, resulting in a strange day full of gruppettos spread out all along the road.

With under 30 kilometers to go, the “peloton” was little more than a small group of a dozen or so riders, not much different than something you might see on a Sunday café ride. The rest of the field was still strung out behind.

EF Education-EasyPost’s Alberto Bettiol launched an attack with 22 kilometers to go over the 400-meter Nokereberg sector, which averaged a mild 5.3%. By the time he reached the top, Bettiol opened up a five-second gap. He was reeled in almost immediately with a response led by American Matteo Jorgenson, the Paris-Nice winner riding for his new Visma-Lease a Bike team. Moments later, Bettiol’s left leg appeared to cramp up, and he pulled to the roadside, allowing the lead group to ride off.

The final group included Tiesj Benoot and Jorgenson, both riding for Visma, Stefan Kung of Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers’ Josh Tarling, Dries De Bondt off Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, and Team Uno-X’s Jonas Abrahamsen, all launching exploratory attacks into each other as the kilometers ticked down.

Finally, Jorgenson attacked with 7 kilometers left. The lead group hesitated, letting him ride off on a clear tarmac straightaway. Within three kilometers, his lead was up to half a minute. Crossing the line alone, Jorgenson became the first American winner of Dwars door Vlaanderen.

How the women’s race unfolded

After an early break led by young upstart Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) split the peloton in two, the twelfth edition of the women’s Dwars door Vlaanderen—slated to run over 129.9 km, covering seven cobbled sectors and nine climbs—was interrupted by a bit of a freak accident. A collision between an official vehicle and one of the team cars from the men’s race brought the women to a complete standstill as officials rerouted the race.

In an effort to stay warm while they stood around and waited, several riders layered up with jackets while others embraced, rubbing each other’s backs, all to protect themselves from the chilly Flemish wind.

After the race was diverted and the flag once again dropped, the race picked back up with just 45 km to go. This time, the peloton stayed together in one large group. At least for a few kilometers.

A duo from Lidl-Trek attacked with just over 30 km to go, creating a group that counted Vos, Pieterse, Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Longo Borghini and Shirin van Anrooij, Movistar’s Emma Norsgaard, and Liv’s Letizia Paternoster. World Champion and SD Worx superstar Lotte Kopecky eventually bridged on a solo effort, rounding out the group that worked together for the next 15-plus kilometers.

With 25 km to go, last year’s winner, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime), flatted, ostensibly extinguishing whatever chance she may have had to bridge to the leaders.

Van Anrooij attacked just over 12 kilometers from the finish, and Vos followed. Paternoster and Pieterse gave chase, but Kopecky refused to work while Longo Borghini sat on. With about 10 km left in the race, van Anrooij and Vos put a 15-second lead into the chase group. The rest of the peloton remained another 20 seconds behind.

Over the final three kilometers, van Anrooij refused to work on the front, forcing Vos to endure the brunt of the Flemish wind. This move should have left her with plenty of legs for the sprint, but this is Marianne Vos we’re talking about.

Vos launched with under 200 meters to go, forcing van Anrooij to follow. However, the Lidl-Trek rider couldn’t overtake Vos, who won by a bit more than a bike length.

In a rare heads-up loss, Lotte Kopecky was outsprinted by Letizia Paternoster, who rounded out the podium. Pieterse finished fourth, and Longo Borghini crossed the line in fifth. The rest of the peloton finished fifty seconds behind Vos.

“A lot has happened,” said Voss after the race. “There were attacks from the beginning, and then we had this neutral part where the race was neutralized, but then after the start was given again, and straight away, there were some new actions, and from the cobbled section, we had a new front group. The final I can’t really recall because so many things happened, but in the end, I was happy to be in a break with Shirin van Anrooij.”

Men’s Top 10 of the 2024 Dwars door Vlaanderen

1. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease-a-Bike) 4:10’43”
2. Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) +29"
3. Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) "
4. Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease-a-Bike) "
5. Dries De Bondt (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) "
6. Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) +44”
7. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) +1’47”
8. Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost)”
9. Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar) "
10. Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies) "

Women’s Top 10 of the 2024 Dwars door Vlaanderen

1. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)

2. Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek)

3. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla-Jayco)

4. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-ProTime)

5. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck)

6. Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)

7. Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ)

8. Arlenis Sierra (Movistrar)

9. Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek)

10. Julie De Wilde (Fenix-Deceuninck)

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