There’s technically both a women’s and a men’s race in the Ronde van Drenthe happening this weekend, but in a sport that has such an egregious history of sexism, that’s not what makes it unusual.
What makes it super rare is that it’s one of the only instances in the sport of cycling where the women’s event gets all the prestige, along with the top billing. In fact, it’s among the oldest races on the Women’s WorldTour calendar.
This year’s start list features two of the biggest names to watch this season. Elisa Balsamo and Lorena Weibes are racing against each other for the first time this year, and we can’t wait.
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Wiebes won last year’s race in an incredible sprint to the line, with Balsamo less than half a wheel length behind her, and Lotte Kopecky coming in third.
What the heck is the VAM-berg?
Being in the Netherlands, one would expect the course to be flat but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This year's course goes up and over the infamous VAM-berg a.k.a. Trash Hill three times over the 154K course.
The VAM-berg is a 0.4K climb with a 9.9 percent average gradient according to Strava. There are also five cobble sectors in this year’s race. Ouch.
How to watch Ronde van Drenthe
Thankfully, since the race is being broadcast on GCN+ in the U.S. we know we’ll get good coverage. The racing starts at 9:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, March 11 and will be streamed live and on-demand on GCN+.
Natascha Grief got her first bike shop job before she was old enough to drink. After a six-year stint as a mechanic, earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license, she became obsessed with framebuilding and decided she wanted to do that next. After Albert Eistentraut literally shooed her off his doorstep, admonishing that if she pursued framebuilding she will be poor forever, she landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, CA. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands. Somewhere in there she also became a certified bike fitter. Natascha then became a certified personal trainer and spent nine years honing her skills as a trainer and coach, while also teaching Spin. During the dumpster fire that was the year 2020, she opened a fitness studio and began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. In 2022, she joined the staff of Bicycling as News Editor.
