The Italian Lidl-Trek team achieved its first success of the summer in Belgium, making the most of its teamwork and the support of Lucinda Brand.
Elisa Balsamo is back to celebrating, and she's doing it in style. The former World Champion scored her first victory of the summer on Tuesday, winning the Egmont Cycling Race in Belgium with a simply perfect Lidl-Trek team performance.
The American-Luxembourg team dominated the race, alternating attacks and control until finally splitting the pack into a narrow group. Their meticulous work created the perfect assist for the sprinter from Cuneo: Balsamo took off on the wheel of teammate Lucinda Brand , launching into a lightning-fast sprint that allowed her to clearly distance herself from all her rivals.
A textbook move that confirms how Lidl-Trek knows how to work with their captain when the going gets tough. For those who play fantasy cycling, this kind of episode is pure gold: Balsamo remains a reliable option on sprint finish days, especially when the team can count on domestiques like Brand for the final kilometer.
Behind her, second place went to young Hélène Hesters (Liv-AlUla-Jayco Continental), who confirms herself as an interesting prospect to keep an eye on for the future, perhaps as a low-cost outsider in the coming seasons. Completing the podium was Solbjørk Minke Anderson (EF Education-Oatly), another sprinter who is gaining increasing experience on the World Tour.
For Balsamo, this is a double-edged victory : not only does it end a months-long drought, but it also comes at a crucial moment of the season, reminding everyone that when the team is performing well, she remains one of the most dangerous sprinters on the international scene. Hers is a name that should never be missing from fantasy cycling rosters when a bunch finish looms on the horizon.
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency
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The 21-year-old Frenchman from Decathlon CMA CGM beats Depuydt and Page on the slightly sloping finish line in Dun-le-Palestel, also taking the leader's jersey
The Italian Lidl-Trek team achieved its first success of the summer in Belgium, making the most of its teamwork and the support of Lucinda Brand.
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