Hageland : Kiara Lylyk just outside the Top 10
- Arnaud Guillaume
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
Mar 3, 2025, 02:27 AM
The Omloop van het Hageland was the second round of the belgian opening weekend, this Sunday. The event ended with a sprint of 7 riders. The peloton finished just behind them. Canadian Kiara Lylyk showed her speed to finish 11th on the finish line.
The 20 years old is competing in her first classics with Winspace Orange Seal. On Saturday, she took part in the Omloop Nieuwsblad. "Yesterday was an amazing day for the team. I was a bit disappointed to drop my chain in a crucial moment, she explains, but it just motivated me more to try again today".
A change of strategy during the race
She arrived at the start of the Omloop van het Hageland with this frame of mind. "I didn’t feel great to be honest in the first half of the race, and maybe after 2 hours my legs started to come around". The decisive moment came with 50 kilometers to go, when twenty riders made a breakaway. Only seven of them came to the end for the win. The peloton fought for the following places. "In the end I tried my best to position in the sprint", says Kiara Lylyk, just outside the Top 10 at the finish. "I’m very grateful for my teammates for believing in me today".
The strategy, at the start of Aarschot, was not necessarily to play Kiara Lylyk's card. "Normally, Marie-Morgane (Le Deunff) was our protected rider but we changed plans during the race, says sports director Damien Pommereau. This choice was the right one." He comes out of this weekend with a positive feeling. "Obviously, it would be better to win the Nieuwsblad. We came very close but we come out of this weekend with two good results. Today (Sunday), Kiara's 11th place will give her some confidence for the next races."
Winspace Orange Seal team will continue, from Thursday, with the Vuelta Extremadura before the upcoming Flemish classics.
Ranking :
Kiara Lylyk : 11th
Constance Valentin : 39th
Marie-Morgane Le Deunff : 72nd
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