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Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling’s Jolien D’hoore will once again be wearing the black, yellow and red colours of Belgian Champion, that she made her own in previous seasons, after blasting to victory in her National Championships, in the city of Antwerp. Although the course - based on a 16km loop - was completely flat, it was far from a foregone conclusion that the race would finish in a sprint, but after several breakaway attempts the “Belgian Bullet” did indeed outsprint the rest of the peloton. D’hoore’s World Madison Championship partner Lotte Kopecky (Lotto-Soudal) took the silver medal, with Kelly Druyts (Sport Vlaanderen-Guill d’Or) taking bronze. 
“I’m very pleased with it,” D’hoore smiled. “Obviously it was a big goal for me this year - like it is every year - but it’s not easy if you're one of the top favourites and everybody is looking at you. I took my responsibility today and I just kept riding the whole race. “I said to myself that I had to ride, I had to race, and then I couldn’t blame myself after the race. Then it was a bunch kick, so I’m happy with that.” With strong winds whipping off the nearby River Schelde, the sprint was to be a hard one for D’hoore, particularly as she started the race as the only member of Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling. Her own experience came to the fore, however, along with her considerable power, and she was able to cross the line several lengths clear of Kopecky. “It was headwind so I had to come really late,” D’hoore explained. “Lotte started to sprint, and I was in her wheel, so I just had to come out and it wasn’t that difficult. But you’re never sure if it comes down to a sprint.” As the outstanding sprinter in the Belgian peloton it was a surprise to many that D’hoore herself was the instigator of the first of many attacks in the race. the 27-year-old powered away from the field on the cobbled sections of the first of six laps, and only Kopecky and two others were able to follow. 
Not everybody in the group was willing to work though, and the foursome was soon caught by the peloton. “Maybe I was a bit too confident,” D’hoore laughed. “I expected it to be an easier race, because it’s flat, but it was very windy and the cobbled sections were really hard as well. It was a bit too optimistic.” With flat roads, cobbled sections, wind and even several tram tracks to negotiate, it was no surprise that the rider from the nearby city of Ghent would prosper. With a faster than expected race, however, D’hoore could take nothing for granted as several riders - including World Cyclocross Champion Sanne Cant - were anxious to avoid facing her sprint. “We’re used to it, but it’s not only the cobbled sections, but also the parts after it, with the wind,” D’hoore explained. “It was a really hard race, even though it was not that long and not an international race, but it took a lot of energy out of me!” The victory, which is D’hoore’s fourth National Championship Road Race title in six years, means that she gets back the black, yellow and red colours that were a fixture at the front of many of the biggest races during her previous reign as Champion. “I hope to show the jersey a few times this year, and I’m happy that I’m Belgian Champ again!” she smiled. 
Photo Credit: Marc Van Hecke Result
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