The transition from the cobbles to the climbs this week saw Team dsm-firmenich PostNL’s Women’s program take on De Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday. A parcours that featured elements from both the Flemish and Ardennes classics; it was set to be a tough day in the saddle. From the flag drop it was an intense race with lots of attacks and a high pace, as the bunch whittled down over the ascents. Heading into the final 30 kilometres some good positioning work by the rest of the team saw Eleonora Ciabocco and Francesca Barale make the reduced first peloton, where eventual race winner Longo Borghini would launch her attack. With the duo ahead fighting it out for the win, the final podium spot was still in contention and Barale did a great job to bring Ciabocco into position as the hit the last corner of the final climb. Pushing all the way to the finish, it was a long sprint with Ciabocco getting up well to take seventh place with the team – her first professional top ten result.
Ciabocco expressed: “Today was a really hard race from the start. We were all together, especially in the first part of the race. Elise and Eglantine did a really great job positioning us. In the end it was just me and Francesca, and she did a really good job positioning me in the top positions for the last corner. I then gave everything I had to the line to get a nice top ten. I’m happy!”