Ladies Sports director Geert Wellens looks ahead to Scheldeprijs: "A mass sprint seems inevitable"

The Scheldeprijs remains in the Northern Kempen for the women. It's a completely flat race, with the cobblestones of Broekstraat as the only obstacle. After three local laps, the riders can prepare for a sprint. Team manager Geert Wellens is also expecting a mass sprint: "It doesn’t seem like the wind will play a significant role. On the section next to the canal, which has been part of the course for years, the wind will blow from the wrong direction, making it a closed race and a mass sprint seems inevitable. So, we will have to rely on our fastest riders.”

Lotto Ladies will line up with six riders: Ilken Seynave, Julie Hendrickx, Sterre Vervloet, Lucy Bénézet Minns, Mieke Docx, and Lani Wittevrongel. The latter has some fast legs, and Geert Wellens hopes to take advantage of that. "We know Lani can sprint well. If she’s well-positioned and the team can support her to the fullest, I believe she can achieve a good result. Lucy Bénézet Minns is also a fast rider. She’s still young, so learning comes first, but if she’s still in the mix at the end, she’s a great asset to help launch the sprint," says Wellens.

"When am I a satisfied sports director? The most important thing is, of course, that everyone crosses the finish line safely. I also want to try to send someone into an early breakaway. Mieke Docx has a bit of freedom at the start of the race, but she crashed during the Tour of Flanders, so we’ll have to wait and see how much that still affects her. If we can still be in the mix for the sprint, then I can definitely consider it a successful day," says Wellens.

Photo: Brecht Steenhouwer