Oudeman and Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women head to De Brabantse Pijl with ambitions
After Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's great victory in Paris-Roubaix, the women of Team Visma | Lease a Bike continue racing in De Brabantse Pijl. With Marianne Vos, the team has a former winner in its ranks. Maud Oudeman and sports director Jos van Emden look ahead to the next classic.
In 2016, it was Vos who won the first edition of the Belgian classic. On Friday, the women's peloton prepares for already the tenth edition of De Brabantse Pijl. The former world champion will also be there. According to sports director Van Emden, it should come as no surprise what the goal of the Dutch cycling formation is. “Marianne is always eager to win, and that will be no different this Friday. We will definitely go for the win here.”
Oudeman starts as well in De Brabantse Pijl. The 21-year-old rider returned last weekend together with Marion Bunel from a three-week altitude training camp in Tenerife. “That was a really fun period. During previous seasons I rode a race every two weeks or so. This year we decided to schedule an altitude training camp in the middle of the season.”
"The upcoming races are my favorites on the calendar"
“It is always a matter of waiting to see how you react to an altitude training, but it went really well”, Oudeman continues. “We completed the training blocks in high quality. In addition, I didn’t get bored for a moment on the volcano. I feel completely ready to race again and can't wait to pin on a race number again. The upcoming races are my favorites on the calendar.”
The Dutch rider has been at the start of De Brabantse Pijl before and knows that several scenarios are possible. After all, the 125-kilometre course has plenty of short climbs and doesn't avoid the cobblestone sections either. “It could be a very aggressive race, but a sprint with a group is also not excluded. We came to Belgium with a strong team and with Marianne we have different scenarios to win the race.”
“Maud, and also certainly Marion, are going to play an important role here in De Brabantse Pijl. Let it be clear that their altitude training is meant for later goals, but you always need races to get back into it. They will play an important role in our plan. We are here for the win with Marianne. Especially after last weekend, the atmosphere in the team is great”, Van Emden refers to Ferrand-Prévot's monumental victory in Paris-Roubaix.
"Marianne is always eager to win, and that will be no different here"
Oudeman agrees with the words of her coach. “We get good spirit from the way the team is racing this spring. Together with the whole group, we have taken a great step in the good direction. The victory in Paris-Roubaix only gives more motivation. We want to build on that. Starting with De Brabantse Pijl, where we start with ambitions again.”
Together with Maud Oudeman and Marianne Vos, Marion Bunel, Eva van Agt, Rosita Reijnhout and Mijntje Geurts complete the six-rider lineup of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women.
