Shirin van Anrooij credits her good start for victory in Koksijde - "I finally had a good start for once, I think one of the first times this season"

Baloise Trek Lions rider Shirin van Anrooij won her first race of the year at the X2O Trofee Koksijde. She had a strong start that helped her take the lead, which she maintained to win the race.

"I finally had a good start for once, I think one of the first times this season," she said in the post race interview. It was a chaotic start but van Anrooij was lucky enough to avoid the crash at the start and take the lead for herself.

She further added, "It was really nice that I didn't have to rely on chasing immediately. I just wanted to ride my own lines through the sand. I did that from the first strip, after that it was just not making any mistakes."

Fem van Empel was just riding behind her and looking for an opportunity to attack. "Yes, but that was very much because of the stragglers. That was quite annoying, because I couldn't really drive my own lines. Of course, it was also a lot of foreigners, they didn't really move aside. As a result, I started making some mistakes and felt her getting a bit closer," explains the Dutchwoman.

She had previously decided not to participate in the national championship, but she is now confused and rethinking her decision."I still have to see if I will stick to my plan.The World championship is still very much open, it can still fall either way. It's getting harder and harder to make the choice," concluded van Anrooij.