Eline Jansen powered to her first victory of 2025 on the uphill finish in Josselin, outsprinting Amber Kraak and Giada Borghesi at the end of a wet and undulating edition of La Classique Morbihan. The 23-year-old from VolkerWessels timed her final effort perfectly to top the 112.6km one-day race in Brittany, marking the Dutch Continental squad’s third win of the season.
The early part of the race saw a long, mostly flat loop through southern Brittany before turning back for six laps of a 5km finishing circuit in Josselin. Each passage of the line included a sharp drag to the finish – 850 metres at 4% – which shaped the race in the final hour as the bunch thinned down and attacks began to fly.
With 20km to go, Elyne Rouseel was out front solo, holding a 20-second gap over Anne Knijnenburg and a small chase group. Rouseel’s move was reeled in by the final lap, but the next attack came from Ema Comte, who opened up a 15-second lead. Her solo move created tension behind, but the bunch eventually swarmed back on the run-in to the final climb.
It was on the last ramp that Jansen launched her sprint, taking the inside line and holding off Kraak by a bike length. The win is her second career professional victory, having won a stage at the Tour de l’Ardèche last year.
Kraak, who recently renewed her contract with FDJ-Suez, followed Jansen closely up the hill but had no answer in the final 50 metres. It’s her best finish of the season so far, and another strong showing in what has been a solid spring campaign. Just behind them, Giada Borghesi crossed the line third, taking her first podium since recovering from a serious elbow injury sustained at the 2024 Giro d’Italia.
“There were many attacks,” said Borghesi. “I found myself in front with four riders, but the attack didn’t continue, so we waited for the final sprint. I’m happy with this first podium and above all with the sensations on the bike. I felt I had to achieve a result to regain the mental awareness of being able to fight at the front.”
Borghesi’s teammates supported her throughout, with Maggie Coles-Lyster, Katia Ragusa and Wiktoria Pikulik all active. Pikulik crashed mid-race and required stitches to her face, but was reportedly in stable condition after the finish.
Noa Jansen, riding for Liv AlUla Jayco, took fourth after surviving the splits on the final laps, while Sofia Bertizzolo placed ninth. Among the early animators, Knijnenburg was particularly active in the last 30km before being reeled in.
Jansen’s win also makes her the second Dutch rider to win a round of the FDJ Women’s Elite French Cup this year, and she succeeds Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini as the most recent winner of the Morbihan race.
Photo Credit: Grand Prix Morbihan 20252025 La Classique Morbihan result
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Main photo credit: Grand Prix Morbihan
