Kathrin Schweinberger and Silvia Zanardi scored top-ten finishes at the Scheldeprijs Sprinters Classic, placing fifth and sixth, respectively, at the end of the 130.3km race around Schoten, Belgium.
The team showed strength in numbers, working tirelessly to help bring back a dangerous late breakaway before the sprinters launched for the line. Maggie Coles-Lyster was also in the mix, sprinting to 11th to make it three athletes in the top 15.
“Of course, you aim for a podium, but this is a strong finish for us when you see who is ahead,” Schweinberger said afterward. “My performances are going in the right direction, and I’m happy with myself and with this result for the team.”
Maëlle Grossetête and Wiktoria Pikulik kept the sprinters safe on a hazardous circuit, with the lead-out then uniting in the finale to chase a strong ten-rider breakaway that had the firepower and capability to hold off the peloton.
“At one point, I was not sure that we could take back the breakaway,” Schweinberger explains. “It was exciting, but Marit [Raaijmakers] did a super strong pull with around five kilometers to go to keep us within reach.”
Raaijmakers’ huge effort on the front was one of the deciding factors for the race finishing in a bunch sprint.
“I tried more or less to find my way and to follow the other sprinters, which worked out as I was out of the mess and could do a sprint,” says Schweinberger.
Zanardi finished just one place behind and was also full of praise for the teamwork in the lead-up to the bunch sprint.
“We were truly a super team today,” Zanardi said. “We always were close together, and in the finale, the girls drove me and Kathrin well to stay in front. We decided to take two different paths in the last kilometer, but both finished well.”
The 25-year-old finds room for improvement with a true racer’s steel.
“I know I could have done more because I waited too long to launch my sprint,” explains Zanardi. “But I will have the opportunity to repay the favor and the sacrifices that my teammates have done and always do for us sprinters.”
Closing out the trio of sprinters who placed in the top 15 was Maggie Coles-Lyster, coming over the line 11th.
“We had a couple of different strategies going into the race, and we were just going to wait and see how the race unfolded,” says Coles-Lyster. “The idea was to have the three of us with Kathrin, then giving Silvia a bit of a launch. This race gets hectic, so it didn’t quite work out like that, but we were able to adapt and go back to racing for all three of us to finish well as a collective.”
A full team effort is something that has a positive knock-on effect for everyone involved.
“I think it’s good for everyone’s mindset,” said Coles-Lyster. “It’s good for morale, and it’s nice to have three of us in there and a fifth place for the team. Everyone was looking forward to this race, and we all knew we were capable, so to come away on a high is always a great feeling.”
Scheldeprijs result
1 BALSAMO Elisa – Lidl – Trek 3:11:25
2 KOOL Charlotte – Team Picnic PostNL ”
3 CONSONNI Chiara – CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto ”
4 GUARISCHI Barbara – Team SD Worx – Protime ”
5 SCHWEINBERGER Kathrin – Human Powered Health ”
6 ZANARDI Silvia – Human Powered Health ”
7 BAKER Georgia – Liv AlUla Jayco ”
8 VANHOVE Marith – AG Insurance – Soudal U23 ”
9 DIDERIKSEN Amalie – Cofidis Women Team ”
10 FITYUS Lucie – St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 WE ”
11 COLES-LYSTER Maggie – Human Powered Health ”
