Anna van der Breggen immediately rides to beautiful second place in first WorldTour race

Anna van der Breggen: ‘Strade Bianche was an eye-opener how stressful such a race can be from start to finish. That’s also because the course has changed compared to the Strades I used to ride. Then you had moments of rest where you could get back into position. Now it goes from one gravel strip to another and you’re constantly in the red. Just because it was such a hard race, I am really happy that I was able to do this until deep into the final. I would never have dared to think that beforehand.’‘It went better than hoped. Of course we didn’t have the top favourite with us as we had in previous years. Our plan was to try to get into a leading group and get some girls in front that way. My job was to try to follow Demi Vollering or Elisa Longo-Borghini or if someone went. Our team rode strong today. Unfortunately, we lost Blanka Vas at a crucial moment when she punctured, because she was very good.’‘It was full course from the start. That made it super tricky. Hageland was a nice simulation for that. That’s also the reason why I continually placed an acceleration there from the start. That way I tried to prepare for the Strade Bianche. That intensity is still a working point, but I feel that every time I do it, I can keep it up a bit longer. For the last time Le Tolfe, I knew I had to be at the front. There was nobody in front of me, so I could follow my own line on the descent. That’s why I dared to take it so quickly. That was ideal because it allowed me to take the lead I needed.’‘When I was alone in front with Demi Vollering in the final kilometres, I knew it would be difficult to win. She is just a bit more explosive and my legs were already not feeling too good. The only thing I could do was to start early and not wait for that explosive attack at the end. I therefore went on first. If I had had the legs, it would have been a good moment there. But that was all there was to it. Anyway, this second place gives me a lot of confidence for the classics to come. Coming second now in a very tough Strade Bianche, I didn’t expect that beforehand. My next race is the Trofeo Binda next Sunday. After that, I leave on altitude training before starting back in the Brabantse Pijl.’