Femke Markus delivered a dominant solo victory at Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026, attacking from a reduced front group with 26 kilometres remaining and holding off the chasers to give SD Worx-Protime a complete podium sweep in Antwerp.
The Dutch rider crossed the line alone after 142.9 kilometres of cobbles, gravel, wind and heat, taking the second professional win of her career in 3:38:25. Behind her, Marta Lach won the sprint for second at 1:23, with Femke Gerritse third on the same time to complete a commanding SD Worx-Protime one-two-three.
Letizia Borghesi finished fourth for AG Insurance-Soudal, with Lily Williams fifth for Human Powered Health. Nika Bobnar, Fien Van Eynde, Camilla Rånes Bye, Clara Lundmark and Lonneke Uneken completed the top 10 after a race that broke apart long before the final kilometres.
Rough roads and crashes shape the race early
Antwerp Port Epic Ladies has quickly built its identity around chaos rather than climbs, and the 2026 edition followed that pattern. The fourth edition of the race took riders from Antwerp to Antwerp across 142.9 kilometres, with around 40 hybrid cobbled and gravel sectors creating repeated stress through the port roads and exposed sections.
The race was never likely to be controlled in the same way as a conventional flat one-day race. The combination of rough surfaces, positioning battles and hot conditions made every sector a potential point of separation. Crashes and mechanical disruption repeatedly interrupted the rhythm of the bunch, while the strongest teams tried to stay near the front before each technical section.
SD Worx-Protime were among the teams to make the race hard early. Rather than waiting for a reduced sprint, they used their depth to keep pressure on the rest of the field, with Markus, Lach and Gerritse all capable of influencing the race in different ways.
Markus and Dijkstra force the early selection
After around 50 kilometres of racing, Markus joined Anneke Dijkstra of VolkerWessels in a move that began to give the race a clearer shape. It was the sort of attack Antwerp Port Epic Ladies often rewards, not necessarily explosive in one moment, but difficult to close because the bunch behind was already being stretched by the road surface.
Markus’ day was not completely smooth. She crashed with around 85 kilometres remaining, but was able to continue and regain contact with Dijkstra. That recovery proved important, because rather than being forced back into survival mode, she returned to the front of the race and stayed active.
The pressure behind continued to reduce the field. The rough sectors made chasing awkward, and the repeated accelerations meant riders who lost position often paid for it immediately. The race gradually became less about pure speed and more about who could keep absorbing the shocks.
SD Worx-Protime use numbers in the decisive phase
As the race moved deeper into the final hour, SD Worx-Protime’s strength became increasingly clear. Markus was already committed to racing aggressively, while Lach and Gerritse gave the team protection behind and forced others to think carefully before chasing every move.
That tactical advantage became decisive with 26 kilometres to go. From the select lead group, Markus attacked again, making what was described as her third serious move of the day. This time, nobody could follow.
The timing was ideal. The race had already been worn down by the sectors, the heat and the earlier accelerations, while the chasing group behind contained enough SD Worx-Protime presence to disrupt the response. Markus quickly opened a useful gap and then continued to extend it.
From that point, the race behind became increasingly complicated. Teams without numbers needed to chase, but the group was tired and uneven. Lach and Gerritse were able to sit in, mark danger and wait for the sprint behind, while Markus kept driving towards Antwerp alone.
Markus rides clear to Antwerp
The final 20 kilometres confirmed the strength of Markus’ move. She did not simply hold a narrow advantage, she built a lead that gave her time to savour the finish. On a route where punctures, crashes and surface changes can undo a rider at any moment, it was a controlled and impressive solo.
The victory was also a strong personal moment for Markus. Her previous professional win came at Leiedal Koerse in 2022, and this was a much bigger success on a UCI ProSeries stage. It also showed the value of her versatility, with the ability to attack, recover from disruption and still finish the race alone after more than three and a half hours.
Behind her, the sprint for the podium only underlined SD Worx-Protime’s dominance. Lach took second, Gerritse followed for third, and the team completed a rare clean sweep in a race that had promised unpredictability but ended with one squad clearly above the rest.
Borghesi and Williams lead the best of the rest
Borghesi was the first rider outside the SD Worx-Protime trio, taking fourth for AG Insurance-Soudal. On this type of course, where positioning and resilience are just as important as speed, her result was another reminder of her strength in attritional one-day racing.
Williams finished fifth for Human Powered Health, continuing her strong relationship with tough Belgian races. Bobnar placed sixth for Nexetis, while Van Eynde gave Fenix-Premier Tech seventh. Rånes Bye and Lundmark both finished inside the top 10 for Minimax Cycling Team, with Uneken taking 10th for VolkerWessels.
The final result also reinforced the particular nature of Antwerp Port Epic Ladies. It may be listed as a flat race, but the finish sheet looked like the product of a selective Classic. The gaps were already clear by the podium places, with the main chasing group finishing 1:23 behind Markus and later groups spread further down the road.
Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Getty
