The Cuban Arlenis Sierra was one of the three cyclists of the Movistar team who were able to conclude this Wednesday the difficult classic Flecha de Bravante, elite category of the UCI World Tour and last in 2022 in the Flemish region of Belgium.
Among the 61 runners who reached the finish line, the best placed by this distinguished club was Colombian Paula Patiño, who crossed the finish line in 13th place, Arlenis in 38th and Serbian Jelena Eric in 46th, according to the site www. procyclingstats.com.
Almost 80 did not finish the 141.2 km route, which began in the rain in the city of Lennik and continued on a demanding circuit, which the Norwegian Katrine Aalerud, the Australian Sarah Gigante and the Spanish could not complete. Sarah Martin.
This race was dominated by the outstanding Dutchwoman Demi Vollering (SD Worx), who crossed the sentencing line alone and set a time of three hours and 38 minutes after pedaling away for much of the last lap on a route with elevations and cobbled areas.
The Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM), bronze in the 2021 world championship, and the German Liane Lippert (DSM), fifth in the 2020 world championship, arrived 22 seconds later.
With other differences, 24 more riders arrived, ahead of the main pack where Arlenis was travelling, a lot that marked 6.58 minutes of difference with the winner.
La Manzanillera did not wake up on her best days of the month, although she confesses that “my mood felt super good and, although the circuit is really complicated, what hurt me the most was the severe pain in my legs. A tough day.”
“Now I travel to Spain and return to Belgium the other week for the Ardennes races, on Wednesday the 20th we run La Flecha Wallone and on Sunday the 24th the Liège classic. I hope to be in my rhythm again.”
For these two commitments, the leader of Movistar, the Olympic and world champion Annemiek van Vleuten, from the Netherlands, must be in the sexteta, and among the first in the world ranking of the International Cycling Union. And the Cuban will be there as her strongest teammate.
Por Lisset Isabel Ricardo, Jit