Team DSM have gathered their second win of the season as Lorena Wiebes is continuing her strong run of form to conquer the Ronde van Drenthe. The 155-kilometer long race was harshly attacked over the several cobbled sectors and final circuit around the VAM-berg ascent, but it came down to a bunch sprint where the Dutch took the win.
Despite the best efforts of the likes of Ellen van Dijk and Riejanne Markus, the race didn't prove itself hard enough to prevent a sprint at the end, with Trek and DSM connecting the groups in favour of their fast women. Trek - Segafredo led the sprint towards the end but Lorena Wiebes took the lead in the final meters at the sprint and overcame Elisa Balsamo for the win, with Lotte Kopecky finishing third.
Wiebes said in a post race interview: "Today we showed again that we have a really strong team. Megan, Fanzi and Leah did a really good job with positioning us for the difficult moments, despite some bad luck. All of the time we were in the front for the VAM-berg and reacted on the attacks which was really good.
"Before the VAM-berg for the last time I had a flat but was happy to come back to the peloton. Pfeiffer stayed with me on the VAM-berg and Floortje made it into the front group, before Pfeiffer then closed the gap to them. A couple of groups tried to go clear and in the end there wee four riders away but Floortje and Pfeiffer started chasing and it was all under control. I'm really happy to be able to take the win for everyone after a day with so much teamwork. We're really looking forward to our next races now."
As for runner-up, World Champion Elisa Balsamo: "Today the team did a great job, we were working from the first kilometers and the team was amazing and this second place is okay, we always race to win but today Lorena was stronger."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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🇳🇱@lorenawiebes of 🇩🇪@TeamDSM wins 🇳🇱@RondevDrenthe #RondevDrenthe (📺@RTVDrenthe)
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