Fleur Moors claimed her first professional victory in Boezinge as she sprinted to the win from a six-rider breakaway in the 2025 edition of Dwars door de Westhoek. The 19-year-old Belgian rider, making only her second start of the season, held off Susanne Andersen in the final metres, with Amalie Dideriksen completing the podium.
The 127-kilometre race was animated early on by aggressive riding from Lidl-Trek, with Felicity Wilson-Haffenden launching a solo attack in the final 40 kilometres. The Australian opened up a gap and maintained a slender advantage into the final 20km before Lily Williams bridged across in a short-lived move.
After the initial break was reeled in, the race split again under pressure from AG Insurance-Soudal, with a new six-rider group forming at around 5km to go. Moors jumped across with Ilse Pluimers, Valerie Demey, Andersen, Dideriksen, and Williams, and the peloton was left scrambling.
Despite a hard chase from behind led by riders such as Eilidh Shaw, Febe Jooris, and Alena Ivanchenko, the leaders held an 11-second gap into the final 2km. The bunch was within sight in the final 500 metres but couldn’t close the gap.
Andersen, fresh from her win at the Antwerp Port Epic the day before, opened the sprint first. Moors waited until the final 100 metres before launching her effort up the right-hand side of the road and edged past Andersen just before the line.
Sofie van Rooijen won the sprint from the bunch just seconds later to take eighth, while the rest of the chasing group had to settle for minor placings.
Moors delivers breakthrough win
Moors’ win capped an impressive weekend after she had only returned to racing at Antwerp on Saturday, where she finished sixth. She had missed the early season due to illness and surgery but made a statement on her second day back in the peloton.
“The race went really well today,” she said post-race. “In the final, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden attacked from our group. As soon as she was caught, I attacked. I was able to get across to the lead group of six and battle it out for the win.”
The win came with extra meaning after a difficult spring sidelined her from competition. “I’m so happy as I’ve had a pretty tough time recently,” she explained. “On Saturday, I finished sixth in my first road race of the season and now I’ve won my second. It’s a big victory for me.”
She was quick to credit the support from Lidl-Trek and director Ina-Yoko Teutenberg. “Ina advised me to try to save my energy in that group and just focus entirely on the sprint,” Moors said. “It was very tight on the line between myself and Susanne Andersen. This victory is a huge relief for me. It’s the first weekend where I feel like a bike rider again.”
Andersen had looked close to a second consecutive win but admitted in the finish that she simply didn’t have the extra speed when it mattered. Dideriksen rounded out the podium with a solid ride, while the effort from Wilson-Haffenden earlier in the day laid the groundwork for her teammate’s triumph.
2025 Dwars door de Westhoek result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Dwars door de Westhoek
