The closing stage of the Simac Ladies Tour promised to be more than just a flat run-in to another sprint. At 156km, the route from and to Lichtenvoorde included the iconic Muur van Zeddam and a total of 6.6km of gravel roads through the Montferland region, as well as two finishing laps of 14km each. These elements made for nervous racing, with the peloton constantly on edge despite the expectation of a bunch sprint.
Before the racing settled, there was an emotional farewell for Ellen van Dijk and Sarah Roy, both of whom are retiring. The peloton formed an honour guard to mark the moment before the flag dropped. Once underway, the first attacks came immediately, with Kirstie van Haaften and Britt de Grave moving clear.
Their lead approached two minutes, but the gravel sectors quickly reshaped the race, creating small splits in the bunch. Wiebes, in the leader’s jersey, stayed at the front to avoid trouble while Van Haaften pushed on ahead of the main field. By the midway point, however, her advantage had evaporated and the peloton regrouped.
The next move came from Josie Talbot, who struck out alone and quickly built a gap of more than two minutes. She started the local finishing laps still out front, but the chase was always under control thanks to the work of SD Worx-Protime at the head of the bunch. With just under 25km to go, Talbot was caught, setting up a flurry of counterattacks.
Liv AlUla Jayco and VolkerWessels were most active, with Jeanne Korevaar and Nicole Steigenga trying together before being reeled back. Soon after, Letizia Paternoster made her own attempt, joined by Valerie Demey, and the pair eked out a handful of seconds before the peloton brought them back at the start of the final lap.
Inside the last 10km, Floortje Mackaij surged clear, but her effort was also quickly nullified as the race prepared for the inevitable sprint. SD Worx-Protime controlled the tempo but it was Visma | Lease a Bike who delivered the strongest lead-out, lining up Nienke Veenhoven perfectly in the final kilometre.
Wiebes, however, was positioned just behind and bided her time. With 300 metres to go she launched her sprint, flying past Visma’s train and opening an immediate gap. Veenhoven did what she could to hold her wheel but had to settle for second, with Elisa Balsamo coming through for third.
The result gave Wiebes her fifth stage victory of the week and confirmed her dominance in the overall classification. With four sprint wins, the final triumph in Lichtenvoorde, and only the time trial missing from her tally, she sealed the 2025 Simac Ladies Tour in emphatic style.
2025 Simac Ladies Tour Stage 6 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
2025 Simac Ladies Tour GC result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
