Evy Kuijpers of Fenix-Deceuninck secured her first professional win in the GP Lucien Van Impe today, outpacing Belarusian rider Anastasiya Kolesava in a thrilling sprint to the line. The Dutch rider’s victory in Erpe-Mere comes after a tough 140.7 kilometres of racing, marking a significant moment in her career.
The race, now elevated to UCI 1.2 status, saw Kuijpers break away with Kolesava in the latter stages, with the peloton unable to reel them back in time. Sofie van Rooijen, also from the Netherlands, took the sprint for third place, while Kuijpers’ teammate Marthe Truyen crossed the line in fifth, securing the best Belgian finish of the day.
Kuijpers, who was second in the GP Yvonne Reynders last week, expressed her satisfaction after the race. “It’s finally happened,” she said, reflecting on her long-awaited victory. “I’ve completed an altitude training camp with the team, because I could possibly go to the Tour de France. I dropped out at the last minute for the Tour, but that training camp is paying off now. The great performances of my teammates in the Tour also inspired me.”
The race was not without its challenges. The constant succession of hills made it a tough day out for the riders. “When Kolesava attacked, I was not in a good position to immediately slip along. After saving some energy, I rode towards her,” Kuijpers explained. She revealed that her victory hinged on a tactical decision in the final moments of the race. “I had a plan for how to tackle the last metres. I had seen that Kolesava was doing a bit less well in the corners, so I went full throttle in the last curve. I immediately created a small gap and that turned out to be enough. I looked back and knew that it was the prize.”
The race’s finale was shaped by the earlier efforts of riders like Marthe Truyen, who tried to break away with 33 kilometres to go, joined by Scarlett Souren, Sara Casasola, Tiril Jörgensen, and Leila Gschwentner. However, their attempt was quickly neutralised, setting the stage for Kolesava’s decisive attack.
The Fenix-Deceuninck team, led by sports director Michel Cornelisse, was in a challenging position leading up to the race due to a number of sick riders. They called upon Sanne Cant, who had retired from road racing just last week, to fill the ranks. Cornelisse praised Cant’s willingness to participate, stating, “She was our saving angel. We had registered as a WorldTeam, so we couldn’t call up a rider from the development team. It’s great that we also won that race with Evy Kuijpers.”
Cant finished the race in 91st place, 29 seconds behind her victorious teammate, demonstrating her commitment to the team despite her recent retirement.
2024 GP Lucien van Impe result
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