45km 'all-in' escape sees Reusser win crash-filled women's Gent-Wevelgem

Four-time Swiss time trial champion Marlen Reusser put on a powerful display no one could match at the women's edition of the 2023 Gent-Wevelgem, claiming the win after a 45.5-kilometre solo assault on the title.

Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) celebrates as she wins the 12th women's Gent-Wevelgem. Credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images

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Reusser's winning attack was all the more impressive given she had already had to chase back onto the peloton after a crash before the Baneberg.

Megan Jastrab (DSM) and Maike van de Duin (Canyon-SRAM) claimed second and third two minutes and 42 seconds behind Reusser, after a bunch sprint for the final podium positions.

"That crash was quite stupid, I slipped in the mud. I couldn't click back in. So I had no choice but to change bikes just before the Kemmelberg," Reusser said.

"In the end, I was back quickly. Then, as a team, we continuously stayed in front because we knew there might be crashes to follow. Luckily that meant we all escaped the crash in which a pack of riders went down."

Reusser increased the pace 45 kilometres from the line. "It wasn't an attack. I just accelerated, but I had a gap right away. So I kept the same pace to see what would happen," she said.

"My lead increased quickly, after which I decided to go full speed ahead. That was not a difficult decision. I was the first card to play, behind me we had five other cards in the fire. I also immediately got the signal from the team car that they supported my action and that my teammates were stopping the chase. Then it's special to finish it as well."

Her SD-Worx teammates on duty were Christine Majerus, Lorena Wiebes, Lotte Kopecky and Elena Cecchini, until Wiebes went down, taking Elena Cecchini with her in her fall. Cecchini did not suffer severe consequences from the crash. Wiebes was okay at first sight, but considering the high impact of the crash, the team will further evaluate the situation in the coming days.

Reusser, who claimed the silver medal in the individual time trial at the 2020 and 2021 World Championships and the 2021 Olympic Games, continued to power ahead. She triumphed with the biggest lead ever in women's Gent-Wevelgem.

"I hadn't dared to hope to arrive solo," Reusser said. "I had expected to sprint with Lorena Wiebes. So I had absolutely not planned this solo. Lorena's arrival allows us to race more freely. So I just tried. I'm a good time trialist, so I went all-in."

“Sometimes I don’t understand [the] other teams," Kopecky, Reusser's teammate, said after the race. "It’s good for us, but if I were a sports director, I would tell my riders to ride or attack immediately. But nobody was doing that, so they gave Marlen some free minutes."

Kopecky finished almost five minutes behind her teammate, in cold and soggy conditions which saw approximately half of the field fail to finish.

“Marlen is super strong. I saw her going on the climb and thought, ‘yeah, she’s gone’. And we didn’t see her back. I’m not at all surprised she won solo,” Kopecky said.

Watch the full replays from the men's and women's Gent-Wevelgem and more great cycling events on SBS On Demand.