Brabantse Pijl Women has grown into one of the most useful markers of the women’s spring, even without the formal weight of Women’s WorldTour status. Held in Belgium between Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Ardennes block, it occupies a very specific place on the calendar. It is the race where the tone often changes, moving away from the pure cobbled specialists and towards the puncheurs, the explosive all-rounders and the riders who can keep producing sharp efforts deep into a hard one-day race.
That is also why Brabantse Pijl Women tends to be tactically interesting. The route is not severe enough to guarantee a solo climber’s win, but it is too demanding for a straightforward bunch sprint. Repeated short climbs, constant positioning stress and a technical finale usually create a selective race where teams have to decide whether to force the issue early or trust a reduced finish. Over recent editions, that balance has helped the race build a clearer identity of its own.
Photo Credit: Cor VosThe 2025 edition underlined that point well, with Elisa Longo Borghini adding another victory to her record in the race after a finale that again rewarded strength, timing and the ability to handle repeated changes of rhythm. Brabantse Pijl Women does not hand out wins cheaply. Even when the final group is still relatively large, the riders left in contention have usually been through enough climbing and enough accelerations for the result to carry real weight heading into Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne.
For 2026, the familiar finish in Overijse should once again produce that same kind of selection. The route keeps the race in its usual territory as a bridge between different parts of the spring, and the repeated circuits late on mean there is very little room to hide. Riders who arrive here with strong form from the cobbled races can still be contenders, but the course increasingly rewards those with a sharper uphill punch and the race intelligence to judge exactly when the decisive move needs to go.
Previous Winners
2025
Elisa Longo Borghini
2024
Elisa Longo Borghini
2023
Silvia Persico
2026 Brabantse Pijl Women route
The 2026 route starts in Lennik and builds towards the usual selective finale in and around Overijse, where Brabantse Pijl Women so often finds its identity. The race does not rely on one single decisive climb. Instead, it gradually hardens through a constant sequence of short ascents, repeated efforts and technical roads that force teams to stay organised almost all day. That makes it a very different challenge from the Monument-style cobbled races that come before it, even if many of the same riders can still be competitive here.
Photo Credit: RhodephotoThe key phase should again come on the local laps, where the repeated climbs around Overijse turn the finale into a test of positioning, timing and uphill explosiveness. This is the sort of route where control is difficult to maintain because the pressure never really drops. Attacks can go from further out, but the repeated climbs also leave open the possibility of a reduced sprint from a heavily filtered lead group. In that sense, Brabantse Pijl Women remains one of the clearest bridge races of the spring, connecting the attritional power of the cobbled block with the sharper puncheur terrain still to come in the Ardennes.
2026 Brabantse Pijl Women live TV coverage
Race Date: Friday 17th April 2026
United Kingdom
Live coverage is available via HBO Max and TNT Sports.
International broadcasters
Across much of Europe, coverage is available via HBO Max, with linear coverage also carried on Warner Bros. Discovery channels in some markets. In Belgium, the race is typically available via VRT 1, VRT Max and Sporza. In the United States, coverage is available via FloBikes.
2026 Brabantse Pijl Women startlist
2026 Brabantse Pijl Women Contenders
Silvia Persico is the most obvious reference point on this start list because she has already proved she can win Brabantse Pijl Women. One win, one podium and two top 10s from five editions is exactly the sort of record that signals course fit, and UAE Team ADQ also bring the depth to race the finale with options rather than a single plan. Dominika Wlodarczyk and Karlijn Swinkels are the kind of riders who can survive repeated climbs and still contribute late, while Pauliena Rooijakkers gives them a more pure climbing card if the race becomes attritional enough that only the strongest climbers are left. If the finish comes from a reduced group rather than a solo, Eleonora Gasparrini is the extra piece that makes this team dangerous, because she can still sprint after a hard day and turn survival into a result.
A puncheur-led Brabantse Pijl Women often comes down to who can keep making the selection on the repeated climbs, and Team SD Worx-Protime have the most experienced version of that in Anna van der Breggen. Her presence shapes the race because she is the type of rider who can ride the final circuits as a sequence of attacks rather than a steady tempo. The other key is depth. Femke Gerritse has already delivered here with a podium and two top 10s from five starts, which tells you she can handle this race’s rhythm and still finish strongly if it comes down to a reduced group sprint. If the finale becomes tactical, Mischa Bredewold is the obvious rider to go on the attack rather than wait for a sprint.
AG Insurance-Soudal look built for the classic Brabantse Pijl Women script, hard enough to reduce the group, but not so hard that only climbers are left. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio has three top 10s from six editions, a useful marker of consistency in a race where the gaps are often made through repeated effort rather than one decisive climb. The other rider with genuine course evidence is Alexandra Manly, with a podium and two top 10s from four starts, which suggests she can survive the repeated climbs and still finish when it is raced as a reduced-group contest. If the race is more aggressive and starts breaking earlier, Justine Ghekiere is the rider who can keep the pace high and contribute to making the selection.
A slightly different threat comes from Lidl-Trek because they can win from either a hard race or a reduced sprint, depending on how the final circuits play out. Niamh Fisher-Black is the clearest rider for repeated climbs if the race becomes an attritional selection, while Anna Henderson has the type of punch and durability that can matter when the finale is being fought out by riders who have already burned matches. Henderson also has a top 10 history here, a useful sign that she handles this specific rhythm. Riejanne Markus adds the kind of steady all-round strength that keeps a leader in position before the key climbs, which is often where the race is lost.
If you want a team that can race aggressively rather than simply follow, Fenix-Premier Tech make a lot of sense. Yara Kastelijn has two top 10s from six editions and fits the profile of a rider who can keep responding to repeated climbs, then still be there if the race comes down to a small group. The cyclocross influence in this line-up is also relevant because it often translates into punchy climbing and repeated accelerations, and riders like Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado can be dangerous if the final circuits are raced aggressively and the selection forms through constant changes of pace.
FDJ United-SUEZ have a more pure climbers’ angle than some of the other teams, but that can work if Brabantse Pijl Women is raced hard enough that the strongest riders are forced to show themselves early. Evita Muzic has a top 10 history here and can still be relevant if the finale becomes a stamina test rather than a sprint. Sofia Bertizzolo also has a top 10 from her previous appearances, which matters because it suggests she can survive the harder moments and still finish when the group is reduced and messy rather than controlled.
A reduced sprint is not the default outcome at Brabantse Pijl Women, but it does happen often enough that a fast finisher who climbs well is always worth factoring in. EF Education-Oatly have that exact profile in Magdeleine Vallieres, a rider who can handle repeated efforts and still finish strongly if the finale comes down to a small group rather than a solo winner. The supporting value is that they also have riders who can survive a hard day and keep the team present when the selection forms, with Kristen Faulkner offering another way to play the final circuits if the race becomes tactical and a move goes clear. If the favourites start looking at each other late, having two riders who can still contribute to the chase or jump into the right move becomes a real advantage.
The most likely Liv AlUla Jayco route to a major result sits with Silke Smulders, because she fits Brabantse Pijl’s punchy, repeated-climb profile better than a pure sprinter. If the final circuits are raced aggressively and the group is reduced, Smulders becomes a rider who can still finish strongly without needing a perfect lead-out. Letizia Paternoster gives them an extra option if the group is larger and the finish turns into a sprint from a reduced bunch, while Ruby Roseman-Gannon is another rider who can profit if the finale becomes messy and the winner is the rider who times the sprint best rather than the rider with the clearest top-end speed.
A chaotic, tactical finale is also where Team Picnic PostNL can find a result, because they tend to race well when the day is decided by timing and positioning rather than raw climbing dominance. Audrey De Keersmaeker is the type of rider who can get into the right move if the favourites hesitate, while Ella Heremans gives them a finishing card if the race comes down to a reduced sprint from a smaller group. In a race like Brabantse Pijl Women, simply having riders who can survive the final circuits and still be present when the decisive selection happens can be enough to turn a quiet day into a top 10.
Uno-X Mobility often suit the “hard enough to reduce the group, not hard enough for pure climbers only” script, and that is a useful place to be in Brabantse Pijl Women. Ingvild Gåskjenn is the rider most likely to cope with the repeated climbs and still be relevant late, especially if the race becomes attritional rather than explosive. If the finish does come from a reduced bunch, a rider like Kamilla Aasebø can still be useful simply by being in the right place when others are fading, because this race often rewards survival and timing as much as it rewards the biggest single attack.
If the race becomes tactical and the biggest teams hesitate, VolkerWessels Cycling Team can quietly work their way into the conversation through riders who survive rather than dominate. Eline Jansen is the obvious name to watch because she can still finish well from a reduced group if she is there at the end, and Brabantse Pijl Women has a habit of producing results for riders who stay calm, avoid the wrong fights, and arrive in the decisive split with enough left to sprint for a placing. Their best pathway is not to control the race, it is to be in the right group when the final selection is made.
For outsider value, Aromitalia Vaiano have a rider who has repeatedly found the top 10 zone in this race. Rasa Leleivyte has two top 10s from five editions, which is a strong return for a team outside the biggest structures, and it suggests she knows how to manage Brabantse Pijl Women’s rhythm and timing. If the race becomes tactical and the favourites hesitate, that kind of experience can be enough to sneak into the front group and turn it into a result.
Photo Credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.comFinally, Hitec Products-Fluid Control are one of the teams who can become more visible the harder the race is ridden, because they often thrive in selective, chaotic one-day racing. Oda Aune Gissinger is a rider who can cope with repeated climbs and still be relevant in the later phases, while Magdalene Lind gives them another option if the race turns into a battle of endurance rather than one sharp acceleration. For a team like Hitec, Brabantse Pijl Women is often about getting one rider into the decisive group at the right time, then turning that into a result through smart positioning rather than trying to match the biggest teams for control.
Top 3 Prediction
⦿ Silvia Persico
⦿ Eleonora Gasparrini
⦿ Célia Gery
