Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 takes place on Sunday, 24th May, with the women’s peloton returning to one of Belgium’s most awkward late-spring one-day races. It is not selective because of climbs, but because of the repeated stress of cobbles, gravel, open port roads, wind exposure and constant positioning fights.
The race starts and finishes in Antwerp, and its 1.Pro status gives it a useful place in the calendar between the bigger spring Classics and the early summer stage-racing block. It also gives riders outside the Women’s WorldTour a genuine chance to challenge bigger teams on terrain where control is never guaranteed.
That matters when looking at the contenders. A pure sprinter can win here, but only if she survives the damage first. The ideal rider is powerful, technically secure, calm on rough surfaces and still fast enough to finish from a reduced group. Anyone wanting the full race context can also check the Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 full start list and the UK viewing guide.
Why this is not a normal sprint race
Antwerp Port Epic Ladies sits in that awkward space between a sprint race, a cobbled Classic and a rough-road survival test. The profile says flat, but the actual race is decided by fatigue and positioning. Riders are forced to move up before rough sectors, absorb the shock of gravel and cobbles, then accelerate again as groups reform afterwards.
That means teams need more than a lead-out. They need numbers in the front half of the bunch, riders who can close gaps after mechanicals, and a second or third option if the race splits earlier than planned. A sprinter who reaches the final group isolated can still win, but she has to spend far more energy than she would in a cleaner road finish.
The current start list points towards a race with several possible outcomes. There are fast finishers, cyclocross riders, Classics specialists and aggressive teams with multiple cards. That should make the final hour difficult to control.
AG Insurance-Soudal
AG Insurance-Soudal bring one of the most balanced squads in the race, with Letizia Borghesi, Leonie Bentveld, Ilse Pluimers, Marthe Goossens, Fauve Bastiaenssen and Anna Bruneel giving the team a mix of finishing speed, rough-road skill and support strength.
Letizia Borghesi looks like the headline option. She is fast enough from a reduced group and tough enough for a rough Belgian race where the final selection may come through surface and positioning rather than climbing. Antwerp Port Epic Ladies should suit her because she does not need the race to be perfectly controlled. If the bunch is thinned down but not completely split apart, she has a realistic route to victory.
The support around her is useful too. Leonie Bentveld brings cyclocross instincts, which should matter on a day of rough roads, constant line choice and repeated changes in grip. Ilse Pluimers gives the team another durable option if the race becomes more attritional than sprint-focused. AG Insurance-Soudal can therefore race with a protected finisher, but they are not locked into one script.
Team SD Worx-Protime
Team SD Worx-Protime line up with a strong and flexible group built around Marta Lach, Femke Markus, Femke Gerritse, Marie Schreiber, Julia Kopecky and Lisa van Belle. That gives them several ways to race, which is usually valuable at Antwerp Port Epic Ladies.
Marta Lach may be the most obvious contender from this squad. She has the punch, positioning sense and finishing speed for this type of race, and she is especially dangerous if the final group is reduced but still large enough for a sprint. She does not need a classic bunch finish to be effective. In fact, the harder version of Antwerp Port Epic Ladies probably suits her better.
Femke Markus gives SD Worx-Protime another card if the race opens earlier. She can ride aggressively, handle repeated pressure and keep the team represented if the winning move goes before the final kilometres. Femke Gerritse also fits the race well, especially if the decisive selection comes through persistent acceleration rather than one big attack. With three realistic options, SD Worx-Protime have the depth to make the race harder rather than simply wait for others to control it.
Cofidis Women Team
Cofidis may have one of the most interesting groups in the race. Amalie Dideriksen, Valentine Fortin, Martina Alzini, Malwina Mul, Marion Borras and Kristýna Burlová give them sprint speed, track power and attacking flexibility.
Amalie Dideriksen is an obvious name for a race like this. She has the power profile for a hard day, the experience to stay calm when the race becomes fragmented, and the sprint to win from a reduced group. If Cofidis can keep her protected through the rough sectors, she is one of the clearest favourites.
Valentine Fortin is another strong fit. She has the speed to finish the job, but also enough resilience to cope with a race that is never completely smooth. If Dideriksen is heavily marked or caught out by a split, Fortin gives Cofidis a second genuine route to the podium.
The presence of Martina Alzini and Malwina Mul also matters. Both can contribute to a fast finish, but they also allow Cofidis to place riders in dangerous groups rather than waiting passively. On a race where team numbers late on can decide the result, Cofidis look well-equipped.
Fenix-Premier Tech
Fenix-Premier Tech have one of the most route-specific line-ups in the race, with Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Marion Norbert Riberolle, Marthe Truyen, Puck Langenbarg, Christina Schweinberger and Fien Van Eynde all suited in different ways to a rough, stop-start Belgian race.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado is exactly the kind of rider who can make Antwerp Port Epic Ladies difficult for everyone else. Her cyclocross background gives her bike-handling confidence and comfort on rough surfaces, and that can be a major advantage when the race is being shaped by gravel, cobbles and fractured groups rather than steady road-race rhythm.
Marion Norbert Riberolle is another serious threat. She is at her best when a race becomes uneven, technical and tactical, and this route gives her repeated opportunities to force a selection rather than wait for a sprint. If the front group is tired and reluctant to chase every acceleration, she could be dangerous in the final 10km.
Marthe Truyen adds historical weight as the 2023 winner, and her presence gives Fenix-Premier Tech yet another option. This team does not need to wait for a sprint. It can send riders up the road, force other teams to chase, and still have a fast enough finisher if the front group comes back together.
Human Powered Health
Human Powered Health line up with Lily Williams, Maggie Coles-Lyster, Kathrin Schweinberger, Carlotta Cipressi, Jente Koops and Wiktoria Pikulik, giving them one of the deeper squads for a race that rarely follows a neat script.
Lily Williams is one of the most interesting contenders because the race’s stop-start rhythm should suit her. Antwerp Port Epic Ladies rewards riders who can keep producing power after repeated disruption, and Williams has the track background and race craft to handle a messy final.
Maggie Coles-Lyster gives the team a faster finishing option if a reduced group comes to the line. She has shown she can win from a hard, selective group, and that is probably the most realistic winning scenario here. If Human Powered Health can keep both Williams and Coles-Lyster in the front selection, they will have a strong tactical hand.
Kathrin Schweinberger adds more depth and toughness. She is not simply a support rider in a race like this. If the front group forms through positioning, rough roads and late accelerations, she has the durability to be there and the speed to matter.
VolkerWessels Cycling Team
VolkerWessels bring a squad that should be taken seriously on this terrain, especially with Scarlett Souren among the strongest names on the start list. The Dutch team are rarely afraid to race actively, and Antwerp Port Epic Ladies is exactly the kind of event where a committed ProTeam can make life awkward for bigger squads.
Scarlett Souren is the key name. She has the finishing speed to be dangerous from a reduced group and the racing confidence to follow moves before the final sprint. If the WorldTour teams hesitate or start marking each other, Souren could be one of the riders who benefits.
The important thing for VolkerWessels will be timing. They may not want to take full responsibility for the chase, but they should want representation in every serious split. If Souren reaches the final 20km with support or with fewer pure sprinters around her, she becomes a real podium threat.
UAE Development Team
The UAE Development Team start list includes Abigail Miller, who stands out as one of the more interesting younger contenders. She may not have the same senior profile as some of the established names, but this is the kind of race where development riders can make a mark if they commit at the right moment.
Abigail Miller fits the race because she does not need a conventional sprint to be dangerous. The rough-road format gives younger riders a chance to race on instinct, especially if the favourites begin watching each other. A rider willing to move before the final kilometres can change the shape of this race quickly.
For UAE Development Team, the aim should be to stay present rather than reactive. If Miller is still near the front after the roughest sectors, she has the type of opportunity that can turn a 1.Pro race into a major result.
Nexetis and the outside threats
Jasmin Liechti is another name to watch. She has the kind of all-round profile that can work well in a race where no single quality is enough. The challenge for riders from smaller squads is making sure they are not isolated when the race becomes selective.
In Antwerp Port Epic Ladies, it is rarely enough just to have good legs. A rider needs to be in the right split, with the right company, at the right moment. Liechti’s best chance may come if the race becomes chaotic and the bigger teams fail to control the final.
There are always likely to be outsiders from the Belgian squads too, especially in a race that rewards local knowledge, confidence on rough roads and willingness to race aggressively. The peloton will not be short of riders who see this as a realistic chance to beat bigger names.
The key tactical question
The biggest question is whether the race is controlled enough for a reduced sprint or chaotic enough for a late attack to stay away. If AG Insurance-Soudal, SD Worx-Protime, Cofidis and Human Powered Health all believe in their fast finishers, they may keep the race together until the final kilometres.
But that is easier to say than to do. Punctures, crashes, crosswinds and rough sectors can remove organisation quickly. Once a front group forms, the chase behind can become complicated, especially if several major teams are represented up front. That is when a rider like Norbert Riberolle, Markus, Alvarado or Miller can become more dangerous than the fastest finisher on paper.
The weather will also shape the race. In dry, calmer conditions, the sprint options look stronger. In wet or windy conditions, the race tilts towards the bike handlers, cyclocross riders and aggressive Classics specialists. It is one of the reasons Antwerp Port Epic Ladies sits neatly alongside other rougher Belgian spring races, even if its route character is different from more familiar races such as Scheldeprijs Women or Women’s Ronde van Brugge.
Prediction
Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 should again be decided by attrition rather than by one obvious move. The strongest teams have enough sprint power to bring it back together, but the route gives attackers repeated opportunities to disrupt that plan.
Borghesi, Lach and Dideriksen look like three of the strongest reduced-sprint options. Fenix-Premier Tech may be the most dangerous team if the race breaks apart, with Alvarado, Norbert Riberolle and Truyen all suited to a rough, technical day. Human Powered Health also have the depth to influence the final through Williams, Coles-Lyster and Schweinberger.
Prediction: a reduced front group to decide the race, with Marta Lach the pick if the strongest sprinters are put under pressure but the race still comes back together for a final kick.
