Eline Jansen took the biggest win of her career so far at the 2026 Grand Prix du Morbihan Femmes, timing her move perfectly on the final ascent of the Côte de Cadoudal to win solo in Plumelec. The VolkerWessels rider came past a late attack from Nikola Nosková in the closing metres and held off the chase, with Sidney Swierenga sprinting to second and Émilie Morier taking third.
The short, sharp Breton race was only 83.9km long, but it was never going to be straightforward. With the finish at the top of the Côte de Cadoudal, 1.9km at 5.8%, and repeated laps around Plumelec, the route was built to wear riders down rather than offer them any room to hide. On paper, it suited puncheurs, but in practice, it became an attritional elimination race.
Cadoudal shapes the race from the start
There was no early breakaway to settle things. Instead, the race immediately took on the familiar shape that Plumelec often produces, with the repeated climbing steadily chipping riders out of the back rather than allowing a small group to build a big advantage in front.
VolkerWessels were central to that process. Jansen’s team set a hard pace through the circuits and, as the laps ticked by, the peloton steadily shrank. By the time the race reached its final phase, only around 20 riders were left in the front group.
The weather added another layer to the race. Rain arrived midway through the event, making the roads harder to judge and adding more strain to an already selective course. That only strengthened the race’s survival-of-the-fittest feel.
VolkerWessels keep the race under control
Jansen did not win this race through a long solo gamble or a lucky late flyer. The groundwork was done by her team. VolkerWessels had numbers in the lead group and used them well, keeping the pace high enough to discourage attacks while still making sure Jansen arrived at the final climb in the right position.
Cofidis tried several times to disrupt that control in the last lap, but each move was brought back. The final selection was still sizeable enough to make timing important, yet small enough for a powerful rider to make the difference if she chose the right moment.
That is exactly what happened on the run to the line.
Nosková goes early, Jansen goes better
As the reduced lead group hit the final kilometre, Nikola Nosková was the first rider to launch. It was a strong move and, for a moment, it looked as though she might have stolen the race before the favourites could organise themselves.
But the effort came just a little too early. Jansen, who had been ideally placed behind, waited and then unleashed her own acceleration in the final few hundred metres. Once she came past, the outcome quickly became clear. She had the power to open daylight immediately, and the finish was too close for anyone behind to recover.
Behind her, Swierenga won the sprint from the chasers for second place, continuing a strong run of form in her first season in the elite ranks. Morier completed the podium in third after staying in the front group through the decisive part of the race.
A major win for Jansen
This was Jansen’s third professional victory, but it felt like a more meaningful one than the raw number suggests. Grand Prix du Morbihan Femmes is the sort of race that rewards race craft as much as strength, and Jansen had both. She came in as one of the favourites, her team raced like they believed it, and she finished the job in exactly the right place.
For Swierenga, second place was another important step. She was close to a first major elite win, but there was no shame in losing to the strongest rider on the final climb after such a hard race. Morier, meanwhile, took a solid podium in a race that became increasingly selective as the laps wore on.
Jansen had been strong here before, and this time she turned that strength into victory. On a wet afternoon in Brittany, with Cadoudal doing its usual damage, she was the rider who handled the finale best.
Grand Prix du Morbihan Femmes 2026
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