Switzerland’s former national road champion cyclist Nicole Hanselmann took an early breakaway lead during the annual Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Her big lead was too big it seems, as she was delayed once she caught up to the men’s field—that had started the race two minutes before the women. The Guardian reports that Hanselmann was asked to sit by the side of the road in order to “neutralise the women’s race in order to restore the gap between” the men and women’s groups.
Race officials allowed Hanselmann a head start once they began, but unfortunately for Hanselmann, with some of her momentum gone she was caught and passed by the following cyclists, finishing 74th. She told Cycling News that she was happy with her overall performance, although she was a little bit sad, “because I was in a good mood and when the bunch sees you stopping, they just get a new motivation to catch you.”
Hanselmann wasn’t too sad after the race, posting this image to her Instagram account, with the caption:
Today was the first spring classic in Belgium. I attacked after 7km, and was alone in the break for around 30km...but then a awkward moment happend and I almost saw the back of the men's peloton... May the other women and me were to fast or the men to slow.
Cycling Weekly has cited studies that put the average speed discrepancy between men and women at around 10-12 percent, which is one of the main reasons men’s groups begin before women’s groups at races. The groups are kept separate because cycling, even though it may not seem like it at times, has all kinds of group (and sometimes team) dynamics and strategies. These dynamics usually affect how races are run and at what paces, with breakouts—cyclists pushing far ahead at a higher pace than has been set by the field at any given time—coming at different times. However, nothing is set in stone, and sometimes paradigms shift. It might be time to give the men a bigger head start.
Watch out fellas, they’re coming for your cycling records!