"It is not always up to us to chase" - Lorena Wiebes critical of rivals and insists SD Worx aren't to blame for shambolic peloton during Omloop Het Nieuwsblad WE 2025

The breakaway prevailed on a crazy day at the 2025 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad WE, as Lotte Claes took the first professional win of her career. Although taking nothing away from Claes' epic performance, the chase, or lack of it from the peloton, was really rather shambolic.

Team SD Worx - Protime, FDJ - Suez and Alpecin - Deceuninck all played a game of chicken in the peloton, waiting for one of the others to start the hard work. The problem with playing this gamble is that if, as happened in this race, no one blinks, the breakaway can amass an insurmountable lead. The question for which team is to blame for the shambolic chase is likely one that will run and run, but according to European champion Lorena Wiebes, Team SD Worx - Protime shouldn't be the ones getting the blame.

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"It was not up to us, it was up to the other teams," said Wiebes in her post-race interview, denying her status as one of the pre-race favourites. "We did not have the top favourite. Then you also have to gamble a bit. We thought it was up to Lidl-Trek and FDJ to chase."

"Demi Vollering was the strongest on De Muur, it was up to them," continues Wiebes. "We will see this more often. In the end, we did not catch up with Demi and Puck Pieterse either. I was close to them, but not close enough. It is not always up to us to chase, that was clear today."

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