Ralph Denk, der Boss von BORA-hansgrohe als Betreuer im Einsatz.
Ein unheimlich starkes Rennen fuhr Domen Novak (UAE) als Helfer des Gewinners Tadej Pogacar, unermüdlich rackerte er an der Spitze des Pelotons und machte so das Rennen schwer, um die Attacke seines Capitanos an der Cote de La Redoute vorzubereiten.
Ulissi und Hirschi (UAE) an der Stockeu
Gewinner Tadej Pogacar (UAE)
Podium L-B-L 24
Weltmeister MVDP und Bob Jungels (BORA)
Oscar Fraille (INEOS)
Plomi Foto
Fotos HERBERT MOOS
1 Brown Grace FDJ-SUEZ 04:29:00
2 Longo Borghini Elisa Lidl-Trek + 00
3 Vollering Demi Team SD Worx-Protime + 00
4 Chabbey Elise CANYON//SRAM Racing + 00
5 Niewiadoma Katarzyna CANYON//SRAM Racing + 00
6 Cadzow Kim EF Education-Cannondale + 00
7 Vos Marianne Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 52
8 Labous Juliette Team dsm-firmenich PostNL + 52
9 Bauernfeind Ricarda CANYON//SRAM Racing + 52
10 Fisher-Black Niamh Team SD Worx-Protime + 52
11 Bradbury Neve CANYON//SRAM Racing + 52
12 Markus Riejanne Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 52
13 Persico Silvia UAE Team ADQ + 02:01
14 Henderson Anna Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 02:01
15 Muzic Evita FDJ-SUEZ + 02:01
THE MOMENT OF GRACE
After two runner-up positions in 2020 and 2022, Australia’s Grace Brown finally got her first Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes victory. The FDJ-SUEZ rider played her cards exactly like she did four years ago, breaking away midway through the race to play for the win in the final. Lizzie Deignan managed to upset her that day, and a powerful trio with Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) seemed poised to do so this year after linking back from the bunch. Yet, on the final sprint in Liège’s Quai des Ardennes, Brown managed to defeat Longo Borghini and Vollering to deservingly raise her arms in victory.
140 riders took the start on the 8th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes at 13:45. There was one non-starter: Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health). The 152,9-kilometre ride from Bastogne to Liège was tackled on steady, sunny conditions and against cross-head winds that slowed the riders down. A breakaway attempt by Cofidis’ Spela Kern and Arkéa-Samsic’s Titia Ryo failed to stick ahead of the Côte de Saint-Roch (km 15,8 – 1 km at 11,2%), where Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) took off to establish herself solo at the front. Stina Kagevi (Coop-Repsol) went clear from the peloton at kilometer 39, as did Sara Martín (Movistar Team) and Kim Cadzow (EF Education-Cannondale) a bit later on. At the foot of the Côte de Mont-le-Soie (km 59,7 – 1,7 km at 7,9%), Gigante held a 1’45” gap on Kagevi, 2’20” on the duo behind and 2’55” on a peloton that was about to pick up the pace.
A strong nine-woman group in the lead
Martín and Cadzow overtook Kagevi on the Côte de Wanne (km 67,9 – 3,6 km at 5,1%), but were quickly reeled in by the bunch before the Côte de Stockeu (km 74,5 – 1 km at 12,5%), atop which Gigante’s lead had plummeted down to 1’00”. It was on this climb and the following descent that an eight-woman group took off with Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Eva van Agt (Visma | Lease a Bike), Élise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM), Mikayla Harvey (UAE Team ADQ), Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ), Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck) and, again, Cadzow. They linked up with Gigante on the Col du Rosier (km 92,9 – 4,4 km at 5,9%), where Cofidis’ Julie Bégo set off in pursuit from a bunch where no team took the reins. Five kilometres from the Côte de la Redoute (km 119 – 1,6 km at 9,4%), the nine riders in the lead held a 30” gap on Bégo and 3’00” on the peloton.
Three favorites managed to catch up
Lidl-Trek took on the helm in the bunch ahead of La Redoute. It was on this climb where Chabbey, Cadzow and Brown dropped the rest of her breakaway companions, who were brought back one by one by the peloton. The front trio held a 1’00” gap at the foot of the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (km 139,6 – 1,3 km at 11%). Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) unleashed a powerful acceleration there – one that only Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) could match. They joined the head of the race with 9 kilometres to go, and had a scare with 7 left to race as Brown missed a left-hand turn and nearly crashed. Despite the Canyon//SRAM riders’ repeated efforts to go clear, the six women in the lead made it together to the final straight in Liège’s Quai des Ardennes. Niewiadoma led out with Longo Borghini on wheel two. For a moment, the Italian national champion seemingly had the win in her pocket, yet Brown managed to overtake her in the final 100 meters.
Alle Fotos von HERBERT MOOS
Sprint um Platz 3:
1 POGACAR Tadej SLO UAE Team Emirates 06:13:48
2 BARDET Romain FRA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 01:39
3 VAN DER POEL Mathieu NED Alpecin-Deceuninck 02:02
4 VAN GILS Maxim BEL Lotto Dstny 02:02
5 PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team 02:02
6 VANSEVENANT Mauri BEL Soudal Quick-Step 02:02
7 MADOUAS Valentin FRA Groupama-FDJ 02:02
8 LUTSENKO Alexey KAZ Astana Qazaqstan Team 02:02
9 BILBAO Pello ESP Bahrain Victorious 02:02
10 PIDCOCK Tom GBR INEOS Grenadiers 02:02
11 LAPEIRA Paul FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team 02:02
12 BENOOT Tiesj BEL Team Visma | Lease a Bike 02:02
13 MOLLEMA Bauke NED Lidl-Trek 02:02
14 ARANBURU Alex ESP Movistar Team 02:02
15 TEUNS Dylan BEL Israel-Premier Tech 02:02
16 COSNEFROY Benoît FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team 02:02
17 HIRSCHI Marc SUI UAE Team Emirates 02:02
18 MARTIN Guillaume FRA Cofidis 02:02
19 IZAGIRRE Ion ESP Cofidis 02:02
20 VLASOV Aleksandr RUS BORA-hansgrohe 02:02
21 BERNAL Egan COL INEOS Grenadiers 02:02
22 TIBERI Antonio ITA Bahrain Victorious 02:02
23 VERMAERKE Kevin USA Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 02:02
24 GRÉGOIRE Romain FRA Groupama-FDJ 02:02
25 JOHANNESSEN Tobias Halland NOR Uno-X Mobility 02:02
26 CARAPAZ Richard ECU EF Education-EasyPost 02:02
27 HEALY Ben IRL EF Education-EasyPost 02:02
28 SKJELMOSE Mattias DEN Lidl-Trek 03:52
29 ALMEIDA Joao POR UAE Team Emirates 03:52
30 POELS Wout NED Bahrain Victorious 03:52
31 DE PLUS Laurens BEL INEOS Grenadiers 04:18
A brilliant Liège-Bastogne-Liège performance on Sunday saw Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) take the win as he proved far too strong for his rivals in La Doyenne. After a jubilant Pogacar raised his arms aloft on the Quai des Ardennes in Liège, he was followed over the finish line by Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) 1’39” behind in second and Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck), who headed a bunch sprint for third. Pogacar blasted away from his rivals on La Redoute and went on to secure his sixth Monument title, matching the tally of World Champion Van der Poel.
254.5km of tough racing ahead
The full contingent of 175 riders on the entry list started the 110th edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, departing from the Quai des Ardennes at 10.10am, with 254.5km of tough racing awaiting the peloton over the hard climbs of the last Monument of the spring.
4 + 5 = 9
Gil Gelders (Soudal Quick-Step), Rémy Rochas (Groupama – FDJ), Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché – Wanty) and Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) were the four riders who attacked early and they led by 15″ at km 3.5. Fabien Doubey (TotalEnergies), Enzo Leijnse (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Christian Scaroni (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Iván Romeo (Movistar Team) and Loïc Vliegen (Bingoal WB) then joined the early breakaway at km 6. Danny van der Tuuk (Equipo Kern Pharma) valiantly chased for several kilometres to join them, though his efforts were eventually unsuccessful, so it was a group of 9 determined riders who stayed clear.
UAE Team Emirates at the front
Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates colleagues rode with him at the front of the peloton, ensuring they were in control, whilst the bunch was 3’ adrift of the breakaway after 30km of racing. That gap was slightly reduced to 2’35” by km 52, but then steadily grew – and as the breakaway left Bastogne with 155km of racing to go they had a lead of 4’10“.
Crash causes a split
With 100km to go the 9 rider-breakaway’s gap was down to 1’10“ and the riders faced cross-head winds as they made their way north from Bastogne to Liège. Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck) was just behind a crash which involved three riders, Chris Hamilton, Toon Clynhens and Junior Lecerf. Van der Poel was not impacted by that first crash, before another big accident in the bunch with 98km remaining saw him lose ground as the peloton was split in two. A large group was delayed by that crash, notably including Van der Poel and Valentin Madouas. Ahead, the group including Pogacar continued its efforts before approaching the Mont-le-Soie climb.
The breakaway is caught
Leijnse, Calmejane, Vliegen and Romeo could not keep up the pace on the Mont-le-Soie ascent and soon the remaining escapees were chased down. As the surviving breakaway riders started the Côte de Wanne ascent their lead on the peloton was just 14″, but early on that climb they were swallowed up by the peloton. Gelders, Rochas, Scaroni, Doubey and Ourselin caught by the bunch on the first slopes of the Côte de Wanne, at km 166.
Pidcock stops then counter attacks
A mechanical problem for Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) saw him stop for a bike change and temporarily fall behind the Van der Poel group. There were around 50 riders in this trailing group – including Van der Poel and Simon Yates (Team Jayco AlUla) – which continued to lose ground, with a 1’10” deficit at km 174, as the UAE Team Emirates kept the pressure on up front. Pidcock recovered and then launched out of the Van der Poel group on the Côte de Stockeu to try to join the Pogacar group and he was followed in that move by Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious) and Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step). Rémy Rochas and Romain Grégoire (Groupama – FDJ) also managed to join Pidcock and Vansevenant’s chasing group and 71km from the finish the peloton was all back together.
Pogacar explodes on La Redoute
The teams were fighting for prominence at the front of the peloton ahead of the Côte de La Redoute climb. Then Pogacar exploded on La Redoute at 34.5 km from the finish and was only followed initially by Richard Carapaz (EF Education – EasyPost), who eventually could not stay with him. As he went over the summit of Côte de La Redoute Pogacar was 8″ clear and he increased his advantage on the descent. That lead increased to 50“ within 4km after La Redoute, Pogacar confidently leading the way ahead of a group including Vansevenant, Bernal, Carapaz, Van Gils and Lutsenko.
Counter attack
Several more riders joined the chasing group, namely Healy, Grégoire, Benoot, Vlasov, Skjelmose, Almeida, Hirschi, Bardet, Cosnefroy and Paret-Peintre. Irish champion Healy and the leader of the dsm-firmenich team Bardet set out in pursuit of Pogacar, joined in the chase by Grégoire and Cosnefroy, but they were still 1′ behind the race leader as they reached Côte des Forges. Bardet attacked for second on the final Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons climb and made it on to the podium again after his 3rd place in the Doyenne in 2018. Van der Poel completed the 2024 Liège-Bastogne-Liège podium securing third in a bunch sprint to the line. Maxim Van Gils in 4th and Aurélien Paret-Peintre in 5th completed the top 5.
Key points:
The 110thLiège–Bastogne–Liège will bring down the curtain on a phenomenal spring classics campaign in which two men have been head and shoulders above the rest. Mathieu van der Poel is set to face his second Old Lady (6th in 2020), in which he hopes to take the fight to the winner of the 2021 edition, Tadej Pogacar.
However, Tom Pidcock’s triumph in the Amstel Gold Race and Stephen Williams’s victory in La Flèche Wallonne rammed home the point that it is not always a top favourite who wins the race.
The French contingent will be racing under different banners, with Kevin Vauquelin leading the charge for Arkéa–B&B Hotels, Benoît Cosnefroy for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Guillaume Martin for Cofidis, the triple threat Gaudu-Madouas-Grégoire for Groupama–FDJ and Romain Bardet for dsm–firmenich. The likes of Maxime Van Gils, Santiago Buitrago, Mattias Skjelmose and Tobias Johannessen are also serious contenders.
This Ardennes week has already gone down in history, with Tom Pidcock bagging the first ever British win in the Amstel Gold Race and Stephen Williams following suit in La Flèche Wallonne, where he proved to be the toughest of the 44 riders who overcame a combination of rain, snow, hail and bone-chilling temperatures to finish the race.
They will both be back on the road on Sunday, joined by Simon Yates, making a British treble a distinct possibility. It is easier said than done, however, as Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel, the two most successful classics specialists in the current peloton, are returning to action in the last entry of the Ardennes series. The world champion’s second triumph in Roubaix Velodrome brought his monument tally to six, while the ultra-competitive two-time Tour de France winner has been stuck at five since he claimed Il Lombardia last autumn.
The Slovenian champion is always hungry for more, but that does not mean he has got any slower. „Pogi“, in a league of his own in Strade Bianche and the Volta a Catalunya, has only missed the mark once this season, in Milan–San Remo (third). In this bout between two champions with undeniable panache, it remains to be seen who will strike further out on the road to Liège. A fortnight ago, MVDP dropped his rivals in the Orchies cobbled sector, 60km from the line, while Pogačar capped an 80km solo raid in Piazza del Campo in Siena in his first race of the season. Who can do better?
The top-billed fight will feature these two alpha predators, who did not have to cope with the bitter cold on the road to Huy yesterday, but there will be no shortage of riders eager to fish in troubled waters. Both the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne were a stark reminder that the top favourites do not always end up at the top of the podium. Both the polar explorers of Wednesday and some of those who succumbed to the frosty conditions have a real shot at victory on Sunday… provided that they can stop shivering. Dylan Teuns and Mattias Skjelmose are just two examples of riders who have what it takes to vie for the win in mild weather. Among those who were unable to match „Stevie“ on the Mur de Huy are a host of Frenchmen, who represented 50% of the top8… and of the top18! France will be pinning its hopes on Kevin Vauquelin, whose performance in Huy evoked fond memories among the tricolores. In 2015, Julian Alaphilippe made a splash with second place in La Flèche Wallonne, right behind Alejandro Valverde. At the time, he was just a few weeks older than the 22-year-old Norman is now. Romain Grégoire (seventh) also helped put the new French generation on the map, but the old guard made an impact too, with Benoît Cosnefroy in fourth place and Guillaume Martin in tenth. Romain Bardet, who is fighting for the top honours in the Tour of the Alps, will join their ranks in a bid to take another podium spot in Liège (third in 2018).
Liège–Bastogne–Liège is also a key race for the host nation, which hopes to have found potential successors to Remco Evenepoel in Maxim Van Gils, following his third place in Huy, and Tiesj Benoot (ninth). Colombia has yet to taste glory in this race, but Santiago Buitrago, third last year, stood gallantly against the forces of nature yesterday (fifth). Nordic cyclists (with 11Norwegians and Danes among the 44finishers of La Flèche Wallonne) have also been dealt a decent hand, with aces such as Tobias Johannessen (sixth in La Flèche Wallonne) and the winner of the 2019edition, Jakob Fuglsang.
25 TEAMS, MAIN CONTENDERS
Australia
Jayco AlUla: S.Yates (Gbr), Craddock (USA)
Bahrain
Bahrain Victorious: Buitrago (Col), Bilbao (Esp), Poels (Ned)
Belgium
Soudal Quick-Step: Vansevenant, Van Wilder (Bel)
Lotto Dstny: Kron (DEN),Van Gils (Bel)
Intermarché–Wanty: Calmejane (Fra), Zimmermann (Bel)
Alpecin–Deceuninck: Van der Poel (Ned), Kragh Andersen (Den)
Team Flanders–Baloise: Bonneu,Maris (Bel)
Bingoal–WB: Vliegen, Meens (Bel)
France
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale: Cosnefroy, Lapeira (Fra), Gall (Aut)
Groupama–FDJ: Gaudu, Madouas, Grégoire (Fra)
Cofidis: Martin (FRA), J.Herrada, I. Izagirre (Esp)
Arkéa–B&B Hotels: Vauquelin, Champoussin (Fra)
TotalEnergies: Burgaudeau, Doubey (Fra)
Germany
BORA–hansgrohe: Higuita (Col), Jungels (Lux), Vlasov
Israel
Israel–Premier Tech: Williams (Gbr), Woods (Can), Fuglsang (Den), Teuns (Bel)
Kazakhstan
Astana Qazaqstan Team: Lutsenko (Kaz), Charmig (Den)
The Netherlands
Team Visma | Lease a Bike: Benoot (Bel), M.van Dijke (Ned)
Team dsm–firmenich PostNL: Bardet (Fra)
Norway
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team: Johannessen, Eiking, Leknessund (Nor)
Spain
Movistar Team: Formolo (Ita), Aranburu (Esp)
Equipo Kern Pharma: Galván, Ruiz (Esp)
United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates: Pogacar (Slo), Hirschi (Sui), Ulissi (Ita)
The United Kingdom
Ineos Grenadiers: Pidcock (Gbr), Kwiatkowski (Pol), Fraile (Esp)
The United States
Lidl–Trek: Sjkelmose (D), Mollema (Ned), Bagioli (Ita), Skujiņš (Lat)
EF Education–EasyPost: Carapaz (Ecu), Healy (Irl), Powless (USA), Urán (Col)
Plomi Foto
Foto von HERBERT MOOS
Few victories are as exciting and as meaningful as the one Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) scored today in the 27th edition of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes. The Polish rider defeated 2023 winner Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx-ProTime) and Italian national champion Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) in the final climb to the Mur de Huy to finally net her first win after a 1770-day drought. It has taken her 53rd top5 placings, including a 2nd position on the 2021 edition of this very race, to finally raise her arms in victory again. ‘Kasia’ exploded in tears after the finish line, leaving an emotional lesson: she who perseveres, succeeds.
139 riders started the 27th edition of La Flèche Wallonne Femmes at 14:02 from Huy’s Grand-Place, taking on a 146-kilometre course to finish atop the iconic Mur de Huy. A rain shower turned into a snow fall as temperatures froze down to 5ºC, creating some hard weather conditions that would prove impactful in the unfolding of the race. Arkéa-Samsic’s Maaike Coljé was the first to abandon following a crash in the neutral zone. No breakaway went clear as the Côte de Gives (km 7,1 – 2,1 km at 5,5%) and Côte de Courrière (km 37,6 – 1,4 km at 7,1%) were ridden and left behind, creating some damage as pre-race favorites like Mavi García (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) struggled to keep up with the peloton’s pace.
A three-woman breakaway set the tone
Sara Martín (Movistar Team), Julie Van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) and Elena Hartmann (Roland) attacked and went clear at kilometer 40, clocking a 1’40” advantage on the pack atop the Côte d’Evrehailles (km 53,4). The weather got better, from rainy and cold to just cloudy, as 89 kilometres into the race their gap topped at 4’25”, with Visma | Lease a Bike at the helm in the bunch. It was in the Côte d’Ereffe (km 101,4 – 2,1 km at 5%) that the peloton woke up. FDJ-SUEZ’s Grace Brown and Fenix-Deceuninck’s Pauline Rooijakkers took off and crested the climb 3’35” behind the front trio, with the peloton 10 seconds further back.
Everything up for grabs at the Mur de Huy
The first climb to the Mur de Huy (km 114,3 – 1,3 km at 9,6%) proved too demanding for Hartmann, who left Van de Velde and Martín alone at the head of the race. Across the summit, they had 2’09” on Brown and Rooijakkers and 2’32” on a 50-strong peloton led by SD Worx-ProTime. The chasing duo was reeled in with 17 kilometres to go by a peloton that was just 1’20” behind the head of the race at that point following a coordinated effort by Canyon//SRAM and the aforementioned SD Worx-ProTime. Several attacks happened up the Côte d’Ereffe (km 133,1 – 2,1 km at 5%) as the front duo was swept up and a 50-strong group was left at the head of the race. Riejanne Markus (Visma | Lease a Bike) put on a solo attack with 5 kilometres to go that stuck until the foot of the Mur de Huy. She was caught with 700 meters to go by Demi Vollering (SD Worx-ProTime), who marshalled the main group until Niewiadoma’s final, winning acceleration 200 meters from the finish.
Foto von HERBERT MOOS
1 KATARZYNA NIEWIADOMA 71 CANYON//SRAM RACING 03h 55′ 29“
2 DEMI VOLLERING 1 TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 03h 55′ 31“ + 00h 00′ 02“
3 ELISA LONGO BORGHINI 24 LIDL – TREK 03h 55′ 33“ + 00h 00′ 04“
4 EVITA MUZIC 45 FDJ-SUEZ 03h 55′ 36“ + 00h 00′ 07“
5 ASHLEIGH MOOLMAN PASIO 51 AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM 03h 55′ 40“ + 00h 00′ 11“
6 PAULIENA ROOIJAKKERS 85 FENIX-DECEUNINCK 03h 55′ 44“ + 00h 00′ 15“
7 JULIETTE LABOUS 91 TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 03h 55′ 48“ + 00h 00′ 19“
8 FEM VAN EMPEL 121 TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 03h 55′ 53“ + 00h 00′ 24“
9 MARTA CAVALLI 41 FDJ-SUEZ 03h 55′ 56“ + 00h 00′ 27“
10 ANE SANTESTEBAN GONZALEZ 211 LABORAL KUTXA – FUNDACION EUSKADI 03h 55′ 56“ + 00h 00′ 27“
11 GRETA MARTURANO 83 FENIX-DECEUNINCK 03h 55′ 59“ + 00h 00′ 30“ – –
12 OLIVIA BARIL 11 MOVISTAR TEAM 03h 56′ 01“ + 00h 00′ 32“ – –
13 INGVILD GÅSKJENN 33 LIV-ALULA-JAYCO 03h 56′ 03“ + 00h 00′ 34“ – –
14 KATRINE AALERUD 112 UNO-X MOBILITY 03h 56′ 04“ + 00h 00′ 35“ – –
15 LOTTE KOPECKY 5 TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 03h 56′ 04“ + 00h 00′ 35“ – –
16 MAREILLE MEIJERING 14 MOVISTAR TEAM 03h 56′ 04“ + 00h 00′ 35“ – –
17 RIEJANNE MARKUS 123 TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 03h 56′ 04“ + 00h 00′ 35“ – –
18 YARA KASTELIJN 81 FENIX-DECEUNINCK 03h 56′ 12“ + 00h 00′ 43“ – –
19 ALENA IVANCHENKO 66 UAE TEAM ADQ 03h 56′ 12“ + 00h 00′ 43“ – –
20 HENRIETTA CHRISTIE 171 HUMAN POWERED HEALTH 03h 56′ 14“ + 00h 00′ 45“
Plomi Foto
Foto von HERBERT MOOS
Stephen Williams (Israel – Premier Tech) took victory in the 2024 La Flèche Wallonne, making history by becoming the first British winner of the race, with a brilliantly timed finish on the fourth climb of the Mur de Huy. After a race which saw sunshine, torrential rain and even snow, Kévin Vauquelin (Arkea – B&B Hotels) and Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny) were also on the podium, after crossing the finish line in second and third respectively, closely behind the victorious Williams.
A 30th start in Charleroi
174 riders took the start of the 88th edition of the Flèche Wallonne, as Charleroi hosted the start of the race for the 30th time. The 2024 midweek Ardennes classic marked the 40th finish of La Flèche Wallonne atop the Mur de Huy, with the peloton taking on the brutal climb of the famous Chemin des Chapelles on four occasions for the first time ever. Ben Hermans (Cofidis) was finally unable to take the start, in what would have been his 12th participation at Flèche Wallonne, having achieved his best result of 14th on his debut in 2009.
Six riders clear at the front
At km 11 Igor Chzhan (Astana) and Johan Meens (Bingoal WB) joined the four riders already at the front, Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Wanty), Alan Jousseaume (TotalEnergies), James Whelan (Q.365) and Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who had been the first attacker in the first kilometre. Aaron Van der Beken (Bingoal WB) tried to go with Meens in the chase to the front group but finally dropped back. Juaristi was also the first rider to reach the summit of Côte d’Yvoir at km 42.7 and the six man breakaway had established an advantage of 4’30“ over the peloton after 50 km of racing.
Difficult weather conditions
The breakaway riders were absolutely drenched by torrential rain as they rode into Huy for the first time and there was even some snowfall. Whelan struggled for several minutes to get his jacket on correctly, but finally managed to do so before the Mur de Huy, although he briefly lost some ground on the other five in the break. As the peloton reached the top of the Mur de Huy for the first of four climbs of this famous ascent, they reduced the gap to the breakaway to 2’. That first ascent of the Mur saw a group of several riders dropped by the peloton, including Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA – hansgrohe) and Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step). After the first Mur de Huy climb Jousseaume was back in the peloton after more than 100km in the breakaway, whilst Dylan Teuns (Israel – Premier Tech), the winner of the 2022 edition, was dropped by the peloton with 75km to go.
Mur de Huy takes its toll
A reduced breakaway of Calmejane, Meens and Juaristi were swallowed up by the bunch, before the riders tackled the Mur de Huuy for the second time. This time it was the big favourites who lost contact with the main peloton: Marc Hirschi, Tom Pidcock, Mattias Skjelmose and David Gaudu were excluded from the group. Valentin Madouas, who took the lead at the Mur summit (km 135.3), was one of the most aggressive, but Soren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin – Deceuninck) launched into a solo attack 60 km from the finish. With 46km of racing to go there were only around 30 riders left in the peloton and they were 1’ behind the solo race leader Kragh Andersen. Meanwhile Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X Mobility) briefly got 20″ in front of the bunch trying to chase down Kragh Andersen, but his attempt to do so did not last long.
Amazing effort by Kragh Andersen
On the penultimate climb of the Mur Kragh Andersen crossed the summit 1’ ahead of Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education – EasyPost), 1’05“ ahead of the peloton led by Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa – B&B Hotels). Israel – Premier Tech’s Stephen Williams went on the offensive with 28km to go, chasing Kragh Andersen, then a quartet composed of Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), Vauquelin, Buitrago and Carapaz joined Williams in the chase. Those five chasers were caught by the peloton 17 km from the finish. Kragh Andersen was in turn caught by the peloton on the final Côte d’Ereffe climb with just under 15 km to go, having spent 46 km solo at the front of the race.
Williams is the winner
The 2024 winner Williams timed a late attack perfectly and ultimately shot across the finish line at the top one of the hardest climbs in pro cycling after 198.6km of racing with his historic performance, getting the better of a strong group of 31 riders who battled it out on the Mur de Huy. Vauquelin was so close to the victory, as Williams was just too strong for him in the final metres, with Van Gils in third, followed over the line by Benoit Cosnefroy in fourth and Buitrago in fifth.
Foto von HERBERT MOOS
1 STEPHEN WILLIAMS 37 ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH 04h 40′ 24“
2 KÉVIN VAUQUELIN 81 ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 04h 40′ 24“
3 MAXIM VAN GILS 61 LOTTO DSTNY 04h 40′ 27“ + 00h 00′ 03“
4 BENOIT COSNEFROY 191 DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM 04h 40′ 27“ + 00h 00′ 03“
5 SANTIAGO BUITRAGO 103 BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS 04h 40′ 27“ + 00h 00′ 03“
6 TOBIAS HALLAND JOHANNESSEN 111 UNO-X MOBILITY 04h 40′ 34“ + 00h 00′ 10“
7 ROMAIN GREGOIRE 163 GROUPAMA-FDJ 04h 40′ 34“ + 00h 00′ 10“
9 TIESJ BENOOT 51 TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 04h 40′ 34“ + 00h 00′ 10“
10 GUILLAUME MARTIN 46 COFIDIS 04h 40′ 34“ + 00h 00′ 10“
11 CLÉMENT CHAMPOUSSIN 83 ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 04h 40′ 40“ + 00h 00′ 16“
12 TOMS SKUJINS 17 LIDL-TREK 04h 40′ 42“ + 00h 00′ 18“
13 RICHARD CARAPAZ 141 EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST 04h 40′ 44“ + 00h 00′ 20“
14 JORDAN JEGAT 185 TOTALENERGIES 04h 40′ 47“ + 00h 00′ 23“
15 VALENTIN MADOUAS 164 GROUPAMA-FDJ 04h 40′ 48“ + 00h 00′ 24“
16 ILAN VAN WILDER 26 SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 04h 40′ 48“ + 00h 00′ 24“
17 ODD CHRISTIAN EIKING 113 UNO-X MOBILITY 04h 40′ 48“ + 00h 00′ 24“
18 AXEL LAURANCE 131 ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK 04h 40′ 48“ + 00h 00′ 24“
19 QUINTEN HERMANS 132 ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK 04h 40′ 54“ + 00h 00′ 30“
20 TIM VAN DIJKE 56 TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 04h 40′ 56“ + 00h 00′ 32“
21 ENZO LEIJNSE 74 TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL 04h 40′ 56“ + 00h 00′ 32“
22 BRUNO ARMIRAIL 192 DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM 04h 40′ 56“ + 00h 00′ 32“
23 ANDREAS LEKNESSUND 117 UNO-X MOBILITY 04h 46′ 31“ + 00h 06′ 07“
24 DAVIDE FORMOLO 95 MOVISTAR TEAM 04h 41′ 00“ + 00h 00′ 36“
25 FABIEN DOUBEY 182 TOTALENERGIES 04h 41′ 05“ + 00h 00′ 41“
26 ROGER ADRIA OLIVERAS 212 BORA – HANSGROHE 04h 41′ 07“ + 00h 00′ 43“
Plomi Foto
1 TEUTENBERG Tim Torn Lidl – Trek Future Racing 3:48:29
2 DONALDSON Robert Trinity Racing 25 10 ,,
3 ORINS Robin Lotto Dstny Development Team 20 7 ,,
4 LE HUITOUZE Eddy Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ 15 4 0:15
5 VAN MECHELEN Vlad Development Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 10 2 ,,
6 ASKEY Ben Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ 5 1 ,,
7 ARTZ Huub Wanty – ReUz – Technord 3 ,,
8 DEL GROSSO Tibor Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team 1 ,,
9 VERSTRYNGE Emiel Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team 1 ,,
10 THORNLEY Callum Trinity Racing 1 ,,
In zwei Wochen findet der Radklassiker wieder statt – erneut mit einem namhaften Starterfeld. 19 Teams, darunter erstmals 14 Mannschaften der UCI WorldTour, haben ihre vorläufigen Fahrer für Eschborn-Frankfurt nominiert.
Søren Kragh Andersen führt die vorläufige Startliste an. Der Gewinn der Radklassiker-Trophäe war für den 29-Jährigen das Highlight der vergangenen Saison. In diesem Jahr dominiert sein Team Alpecin – Deceuninck die großen Klassiker und konnte einen Hattrick der Monumente erzielen. Ob die Mannschaft nach 2021 (Jasper Philipsen) und 2023 jetzt auch das Radklassiker-Triple einfährt, wird sich in zwei Wochen vor der Alten Oper zeigen.
Die deutschen Radsport-Fans können mehr als einem Dutzend heimischen Profis die Daumen drücken. Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) fährt ein überragendes Frühjahr, das mit dem Podium der Flandern-Rundfahrt und Platz 4 bei Paris-Roubaix gekrönt wurde. Emanuel Buchmann (BORA – hansgrohe) präsentiert das Meistertrikot am 1. Mai und möchte sich beim Radklassiker den Feinschliff für den Giro d’Italia holen, der nur drei Tage später beginnt. Für seinen Teamkollegen Maximilian Schachmann wird die Fahrt durch den Taunus sogar zur Premiere: Noch nie stand der zweifache Paris-Nizza-Gewinner beim Radklassiker am Start.
Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty) war einer der deutschen Fahrer, die im letzten Jahr am besten mit dem neuen Kurs zurechtkamen. Mit dem Schwung der Ardennen-Klassiker reist der Augsburger nach Eschborn. Dagegen wird es für Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) ein Renn-Comeback. Genau sechs Wochen, nachdem er sich das Schlüsselbein gebrochen hat, wird der Radklassiker eines der ersten Rennen nach der Pause sein. Auch Jonas Rutsch (EF Education – EasyPost) hat nach seinem Sturz bei Paris-Roubaix eine Auszeit genommen, die mit dem 1. Mai endet. Der Hesse möchte genauso wie Lokalmatador John Degenkolb (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) sein Heimspiel für eine Top-Platzierung nutzen.
Neben Titelverteidiger Kragh Andersen sowie den deutschen Siegern John Degenkolb und Pascal Ackermann haben sich auch der Gewinner von 2022, Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), und Seriensieger Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) angesagt.
Aber nicht nur bisherigen Gewinnern und großen deutschen Namen werden Chancen auf den Sieg vor der Alten Oper eingeräumt. Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) hat im letzten Jahr das Podium nur knapp verpasst und im Frühjahr unterstrichen, dass ihm Klassiker mit Höhenmetern liegen. Und spätestens in diesem Jahr ist auch Maxim van Gils (Lotto Dstny) ins Rampenlicht gefahren. Nach Platz 3 bei Strade Bianche und Platz 7 bei Mailand-Sanremo ist der 24-Jährige weit mehr als nur ein Außenseiter-Tipp für den 1. Mai.
„Die vorläufige Startliste zeigt, dass sich viele Teams auf den neuen Kurs eingestellt haben. Vor einem Jahr hat das Plus an Höhenmetern für ein Plus an Spannung gesorgt. Das Rennen wurde offensiv ausgefahren, wir haben viele Gruppen mit namhaften Fahrern gesehen und bis zum Schluss war nicht klar, ob die Ausreißer ihren Vorsprung halten können. Für die Fans war das super und ich bin gespannt, ob wir in zwei Wochen einen der Allstars oder einen neuen Namen ganz oben auf dem Podium begrüßen können“, sagt Fabian Wegmann, Sportlicher Leiter von Eschborn-Frankfurt.
Eschborn-Frankfurt wird auf 203,8 Kilometern ausgetragen. Im Mittelpunkt des Rennens steht die anspruchsvolle Klettersequenz aus Feldberg, zweimal Mammolshainer und direkt weiter über die Billtalhöhe zur schwereren Feldberg-Auffahrt. Der letzte Anstieg zum Mammolshainer brachte im letzten Jahr die Vorentscheidung.
Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Mathieu Van der Poel delivered a masterpiece in the 2024 Paris-Roubaix, pulling off a long-range solo attack and a number of records that now belong in history. Following his Tour de Flanders victory last Sunday, he becomes the 10th-ever rider to win the cobbled Monument double, and the second-ever to achieve it while wearing the rainbow jersey after Rik van Looy in 1962. His 60-kilometre solo ride to the Vélodrome André Pétrieux becomes the longest winning move in the 21st century, while his 3’00” winning margin is the largest in the last 20 editions of the race. His teammate Jasper Philipsen crossed the finish line 2nd, re-enacting the one-two that Alpecin-Deceuninck already sealed in 2023, with Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen rounding out the podium.
1 VAN DER POEL Mathieu NED Alpecin-Deceuninck 05:25:58
2 PHILIPSEN Jasper BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 03:00
3 PEDERSEN Mads DEN Lidl-Trek 03:00
4 POLITT Nils GER UAE Team Emirates 03:00
5 KÜNG Stefan SUI Groupama-FDJ 03:15
6 VERMEERSCH Gianni BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 03:47
7 PITHIE Laurence NZL Groupama-FDJ 03:48
8 MEEUS Jordi BEL BORA-hansgrohe 04:47
9 WÆRENSKJOLD Søren NOR Uno-X Mobility 04:47
10 MIHKELS Madis EST Intermarché-Wanty 04:47
11 DEGENKOLB John GER Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 04:47
12 WRIGHT Fred GBR Bahrain Victorious 04:47
13 VAN GESTEL Dries BEL TotalEnergies 04:47
14 FEDOROV Yevgeniy KAZ Astana Qazaqstan Team 04:47
15 WELLENS Tim BEL UAE Team Emirates 04:47
16 VAN DIJKE Tim NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 04:47
17 PIDCOCK Tom GBR INEOS Grenadiers 06:20
18 MALECKI Kamil POL Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 06:22
19 VAN DIJKE Mick NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 06:22
20 SLOCK Liam BEL Lotto Dstny 06:22
21 KRISTOFF Alexander NOR Uno-X Mobility 06:28
22 TEUNISSEN Mike NED Intermarché-Wanty 06:28
23 BIERMANS Jenthe BEL ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 06:28
24 NAESEN Oliver BEL Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 06:28
25 LAPORTE Christophe FRA Team Visma | Lease a Bike 06:28
26 BISSEGGER Stefan SUI EF Education-EasyPost 06:28
27 ABRAHAMSEN Jonas NOR Uno-X Mobility 06:33
28 TILLER Rasmus NOR Uno-X Mobility 07:00
29 BITTNER Pavel CZE Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 07:00
30 GACHIGNARD Thomas FRA TotalEnergies 07:01
31 VAN ASBROECK Tom BEL Israel-Premier Tech 07:16
32 EEKHOFF Nils NED Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 07:16
33 STEIMLE Jannik GER Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 07:16
34 PAGE Hugo FRA Intermarché-Wanty 07:16
35 ALLEGAERT Piet BEL Cofidis 07:16
36 LAMPAERT Yves BEL Soudal Quick-Step 07:16
37 ASKEY Lewis GBR Groupama-FDJ 07:16
38 JACOBS Johan SUI Movistar Team 07:16
39 DECLERCQ Tim BEL Lidl-Trek 07:16
40 DE PESTEL Sander BEL Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 07:16
41 GRADEK Kamil POL Bahrain Victorious 07:16
42 VAN LERBERGHE Bert BEL Soudal Quick-Step 07:16
43 VACEK Mathias CZE Lidl-Trek 07:22
44 HAGENES Per Strand NOR Team Visma | Lease a Bike 07:29
45 PLANCKAERT Edward BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck 08:05
46 SARREAU Marc FRA Groupama-FDJ 08:09
47 THEUNS Edward BEL Lidl-Trek 08:40
48 SWIFT Connor GBR INEOS Grenadiers 08:47
49 WALSCHEID Max GER Team Jayco-AlUla 09:34
50 PASQUALON Andrea ITA Bahrain Victorious 09:34
51 BJERG Mikkel DEN UAE Team Emirates 09:34
52 VERMOTE Julien BEL Team Visma | Lease a Bike 09:34
53 HOOLE Daan NED Lidl-Trek 09:34
54 TURGIS Anthony FRA TotalEnergies 09:34
55 DUJARDIN Sandy FRA TotalEnergies 09:34
56 VAN MOER Brent BEL Lotto Dstny 09:34
57 GAUTHERAT Pierre FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale 09:34
58 SWIFT Ben GBR INEOS Grenadiers 09:34
59 PLANCKAERT Baptiste BEL Intermarché-Wanty 09:38
60 SÉNÉCHAL Florian FRA ARKEA-B&B HOTELS 09:45
172 riders took the start on the 121st edition of Paris-Roubaix at 11:26, off to ride 259,7 kilometres between Compiègne and the Vélodrome André Pétrieux in Roubaix with 29 cobbled sectors to be covered. 2022 winner Dylan van Baarle (Visma | Lease a Bike) was a last-minute withdrawal, and so were UAE Team Emirates’ Michael Vink and Astana Qazaqstan’s Michael Mørkøv. It took ‘only’ 22 kilometres for Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike), Rasmus Tiller (Uno X Mobility), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-Quick Step), Marco Haller (Bora-Hansgrohe), Liam Slock (Lotto-dstny), Gleb Syritsa (Astana Qazaqstan) and Kamil Malecki (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) to go clear. Shortly after, Dusan Rajovic (Bahrain Victorius) and Dries de Bondt (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale) also took off in a bid to join the breakaway that was only successful 80 kilometres into the race. A big crash at kilometer 37 meant the end of the race for Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan and Ineos Grenadiers’ Elia Viviani, affecting as well the likes of UAE Team Emirates’ Nils Politt, EF’s Alberto Bettiol and Intermarché’s Laurenz Rex amongst others.
Alpecin-Deceuninck kept the race on a tight leash
54,1 kilometres were covered in the first hour of racing as the riders benefited from remarkable tailwinds. The maximum gap for the break was clocked at 1’40”, 76 kilometres into the race, over a peloton led by Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck. The cobbles started with Sector 29, Troisvilles to Inchy (km 96 – 2,2 km) ***, upon which the break only had 1’25” on a pack that was blown the pieces by Alpecin-Deceuninck’s steady tempo on the pavé. The breakaway was eventually reeled in 120 kilometres into the race by a 40-strong group with Mathieu Van der Poel’s teammates at the helm. Meanwhile, podium contenders such as Visma’s Christophe Laporte, Soudal’s Yves Lampaert, Arkéa’s Luca Mozzato or Movistar’s Oier Lazkano and Iván García Cortina were dropped for good. Josuha Tarling’s race came to an end at sector 24 from Capelle to Ruesnes (km 129,3 – 1,7 km) *** as the race jury disqualified him for holding onto the Ineos Grenadiers’ team car following a puncture.
First attack by Van der Poel in the Arenberg Forest
Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen led the front group into the Trouée d’Arenberg (km 164,4 – 2,3 km) *****, where Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) launched a powerful acceleration. Only his teammate Jasper Philipsen, Mick van Dijke (Visma | Lease a Bike) and the aforementioned Pedersen could keep up with his effort, that was frustrated just out of the cobbles when Philipsen punctured. The front group reformed, and three riders rose to the occasion to establish a new breakaway out of Sector 18 from Wallers to Hélesmes (km 167.4 — 1.6 km) ***: Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) and Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The latter did not cooperate as he was protecting the chances of his leader, and the move was shut down by Lidl-Trek with 68 kilometres to go.
The rainbow jersey powered away 60 kilometres from the finish
Vermeersch led the front group into sector 13, Orchies (km 199,5 – 1,7 km) ***, where Van der Poel attacked with 60 kilometres to go to power solo up the road. No one could match his acceleration and the Dutch rider quickly built a sizable gap, clocked at 3’00” with 10 kilometers to go, and therefore defended successfully his 2023 victory. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates), Stefan Küng, Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) went clear from the chasing group during the Mons-en-Pévèle (km 211,1 – 3 km) ***** cobbled sector, fighting for the two remaining podium spots. Pithie crashed out of contention with 30 kilometers to go, while Küng got dropped in Gruson (km 244,8 – 1,1 km) **. In the three-up sprint that settled things down between the chasers at the Vélodrome, Philipsen took the best of Pedersen and Politt.
Plomi Foto
1 TEUTENBERG Tim Torn GER Lidl-Trek Future Racing 03:48:29
2 DONALDSON Robert GBR Trinity Racing 00:00
3 ORINS Robin BEL Lotto Dstny Dev. 00:00
4 LE HUITOUZE Eddy FRA Groupama-FDJ Conti 00:15
5 VAN MECHELEN Vlad BEL Dev. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:15
6 ASKEY Ben GBR Groupama-FDJ Conti 00:15
7 ARTZ Huub NED Wanty-ReUz-Technord 00:15
8 DEL GROSSO Tibor NED Alpecin-Deceuninck Dev. Team 00:15
9 VERSTRYNGE Emiel BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck Dev. Team 00:15
10 THORNLEY Callum GBR Trinity Racing 00:15
11 HUISING Menno NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike Dev. 00:15
12 DOCKX Aaron BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck Dev. Team 00:21
13 BELMANS Lennert BEL Alpecin-Deceuninck Dev. Team 01:25
14 L’HOTE Antoine FRA Decathlon AG2R La Mon. Dev. 02:33
15 SIMMONS Colby USA Team Visma | Lease a Bike Dev. 02:33
1 KOPECKY Lotte BEL Team SD Worx-Protime 03:47:13
2 BALSAMO Elisa ITA Lidl-Trek 00:00
3 GEORGI Pfeiffer GBR Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 00:00
4 VOS Marianne NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:00
5 KRAAK Amber NED FDJ-SUEZ 00:00
6 VAN DIJK Ellen NED Lidl-Trek 00:06
7 WIEBES Lorena NED Team SD Worx-Protime 00:28
8 BERTEAU Victoire FRA Cofidis Women Team 00:28
9 LE NET Marie FRA FDJ-SUEZ 00:28
10 LE COURT Kim MRI AG Insurance-Soudal Team 00:28
11 CHABBEY Elise SUI CANYON//SRAM Racing 00:28
12 VERHULST-WILD Gladys FRA FDJ-SUEZ 00:28
13 BORGHESI Letizia ITA EF Education-Cannondale 00:28
14 VON BERSWORDT Sophie NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 00:28
15 KUIJPERS Evy NED Fenix-Deceuninck 00:28
16 BACKSTEDT Zoe GBR CANYON//SRAM Racing 00:28
17 SCHWEINBERGER Christina AUT Fenix-Deceuninck 01:05
18 SIERRA Arlenis CUB Movistar Team 01:05
19 NOOIJEN Lieke NED Team Visma | Lease a Bike 01:05
20 TRUYEN Marthe BEL Fenix-Deceuninck 01:05
Kopecky, a rainbow icon on the cobbles
All eyes were on Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) this Saturday, with the rainbow jersey on her shoulders and a status of hot favourite for the 4th edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift… And the Belgian icon delivered a stunning victory in the André-Pétrieux velodrome after an impressive performance all day long. She was the most active rider on the cobbles to make the selection. Eventually, as a group of six favourites entered the velodrome, SD Worx-Protime’s leader, a world champion on the road and on the track as well, made the most of her power to get the better of Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), with Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) finishing 4th. Kopecky is the first Belgian winner of Paris-Roubaix since Philippe Gilbert in the men’s edition, in 2019. She’s also the first reigning world champion to claim the winner’s cobble since Peter Sagan in 2018.
The start from Denain, with two loops to open up the race, is marked by strong winds. Already wary of the breakaway after Alison Jackson’s triumph in 2023, the peloton also fear potential echelons.
The tension is high, leading to several crashes including Jackson’s, and the early attackers are kept under control. Victoire Joncheray (Komugi-Grand Est) sets off at km 15 and opens a gap of 1’50’’ after 25km, but the peloton get back to her some 30 kilometres before the first cobble sector, from Hornaing to Wandignies (km 66).
Kopecky unleashed
The tension and the speeds increase as the peloton get closer to the cobblestones. Marianne Vos’ Visma | Lease a Bike, Emma Norsgaard Bjerg’s Movistar and Pfeiffer Georgi’s DSM Firmenich-PostNL are among the teams involved in driving the peloton. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) quickly shows her rainbow jersey at the very front. Lidl-Trek also show their collective strength and participate in the early selection.
Kopecky pushes the pace on sector 15, from Tilloy to Sars-et-Rosières (2.4km, 4*), to make a first selection with 70km to go. The world champion does everything, even fixing her handlebar with an Allen key provided by her team car.
And she goes on to the attack again on sector 12, in Auchy-lez-Orchies (2.7km, 4*). This time, only three riders can follow her, 53km away from the finish: Marianne Vos, Peiffer Georgi and Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck).
FDJ-Suez on the move
Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) makes sure they’re caught on the iconic cobbles of Mons-en-Pévèle (3km, 5*). Kopecky tries again with 45km to go, unsuccessfully. DSM Firmenich-PostNL, Visma | Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek take turns at the front of a 30-woman peloton.
Jade Wiel (FDJ-Suez) goes solo with 33.5km to go, just like Elisa Longo Borghini when she won Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift. The Frenchwoman opens a gap of 30’’ but she’s eventually caught on the cobbles of Bourghelles to Wannehain (1.1km, 3*). Her teammate Amber Kraak immediately counter-attacks and Van Dijk joins her.
A thriller until the end
Kopecky accelerates again in Camphin-en-Pévèle (Km 128.6 – Sector 5, 1.8km, 4*) and a group of six riders emerge on the Carrefour de l’Arbre with the Belgian world champion, Van Dijk, Kraak, Georgi, Vos and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek). Vos and Kopecky attack again and again but they can’t get rid of each other.
As a 10-woman chase group featuring Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) gets closer in the finale, Van Dijk sacrifices herself to drive the lead group into the velodrome with a gap of 20’’. Balsamo and Vos open up the sprint but they can’t resist Kopecky’s mighty sprint to claim her spot in the legend of the Hell of the North.