Julie Stockman sprinted to her maiden professional win at the GP Schellebelle on Saturday, topping a reduced bunch in Wichelen after 135km of tough racing on Flemish roads. The 25-year-old Belgian, riding for DD Group, delivered a perfectly-timed sprint to claim both her first UCI win and her team’s first ever victory at 1.1 level.
The race, officially titled the GP Immo Zone/Vloer-en Chapewerken Smetryns but widely known as GP Schellebelle, followed its usual format of six flat laps featuring several cobbled sectors. Despite the largely flat terrain, the cobbles did their job – stringing out the peloton and shedding riders from the back. It came down to a sprint, but not from a full bunch.
Stockman was active throughout. Early in the race, teammate Yonna van Dam joined an early move, and later Stockman herself bridged across to a promising break that included Jesse Vandenbulcke. That group was brought back, but it signalled that Stockman had strong legs on the day. In the final, Vera Tieleman attacked again for DD Group, staying out front briefly before being caught ahead of the sprint.
“I knew from the early moves that my legs were good,” Stockman said. “I was a bit far back at 1km to go, but I stayed calm. When I launched the sprint, I felt I had plenty left. No one came past me.”
Vandenbulcke took second place, while Puck Langenbarg rounded out the podium in third.
A landmark win for DD Group
This was DD Group’s second UCI-level win of the season after Manon de Boer’s victory in Croatia earlier in the year and their first at 1.1 level. Team manager Stijn Peelman built the squad from scratch last summer, and Stockman, promoted from their club team, is one of several success stories.
“It’s so nice to finish it off after the whole team rode so well,” Stockman added. “Stijn has brought together the right riders with the right mentality. We really fight for each other. I didn’t expect this myself, but I had a good feeling in the winter and the early races confirmed that.”
After a consistent spring that included 11th in the Valencia CV and a breakaway in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Stockman had been building towards a result. Her win in Schellebelle also puts her into the overall lead of the Lotto Ladies Cycling Cup.
Next up, Stockman heads to France for two UCI races in Morbihan, followed by the Omloop der Kempen and Antwerp Port Epic. The Belgian Championships in Binche are not yet on her radar.
“And it’s a nice result for the family too,” she added. “My brothers support me a lot – Michiel is my coach and we’ve got our ‘trainen verdomme’ WhatsApp group where we share everything. It’s a real team effort, on and off the bike.”
2025 GP Schellebelle result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Sophie Richez
