Daria Pikulik takes top spot at Argenta Classic in Belgium

Daria Pikulik of Human Powered Health clinched a commanding victory at the Argenta Classic, a one-day race finishing in Ekeren, Belgium. The Polish rider out-sprinted Scarlett Souren from the Netherlands and Britain’s Flora Perkins in a thrilling finish, marking her second win at this event. Pikulik, who is gearing up for the upcoming Paris Olympics, described the victory as a testament to her teamโ€™s hard work and strategic execution.

โ€œItโ€™s always such a good feeling after a win,โ€ Pikulik said, celebrating her triumph in Belgium. โ€œThe win of Ruth and the team in Thรผringen motivated me to train harder, and we came here with one job to do and we did it perfectly, so we can be happy about that.โ€

โ€œWe started with a plan to race hard,โ€ Pikulik explained. โ€œWe were happy with the situation when Alice was in front because we knew that she felt good and she is fast so we could sit and wait and then decided to finish with the bunch sprint with 20 km to race.โ€

The race, spanning 138 km from Deurne to Ekeren, was characterised by several speculative attacks. Alice Wood played a pivotal role, making it into the main breakaway of the day. The breakaway, however, never gained more than a minute on the lapped circuit, with Wood managing to guide the pace before being caught.

Woodโ€™s effort was followed by the relentless work of Wiktoria Pikulik and Henrietta Christie, who maintained a high tempo before Marit Raaijmakers set up Daria for the final sprint.

โ€œThe lead out from all the girls was perfect,โ€ Pikulik continued. โ€œEveryone did a great job, so we can all be super proud and happy.โ€

In the final dash, Pikulik launched off Scarlett Souren’s wheel at an electrifying pace before the last bend, securing a clear victory. The teamwork and chemistry were evident as Raaijmakers celebrated enthusiastically behind her. Brit Flora Perkins finished on the podium in 3rd as she continues to have her best season in her young career so far.

2024 Argenta Classic result

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