This Binche-Chimay-Binche pour Dames is a late-season race that popped up at the UCI level after the Covid-affected 2020 season. Initially held at the lowest level 1.2 in 2021, it has moved up to a 1.1 race ever since where it occupies a nice sweet spot. With Women’s WorldTour teams unable to race very many 1.2 races the 1.1 race level is open to the very best and the developing Continental riders too. The first season saw Sara van de Vel go solo and take the only victory of her career. She was 16 seconds ahead of the chasers which included Loes Adegeest, Nicole Steigenga and Christina Schweinberger. At the time, all the riders were racing for smaller Conti teams but have since moved up to bigger teams like Fenix-Deceuninck and FDJ-Suez.
The elevation in race-level saw stronger teams take over in 2022. Lorena Wiebes took her last race win for the DSM team in that edition, comfortably outsprinting the likes of Marjolein Van’t Geloof, Anniina Ahtosalo and…Christina Schweinberger in 4th once more. She’d been led out by Pfeiffer Georgi, which is a nice segue into the 2023 edition! Pfeiffer Georgi would take the win in a race that more resembled the opening edition than the Wiebes sprint year. Georgi went clear with Christina Schweinberger late on, with the Brit outsprinting the Austrian for the victory. Anniina Ahtosalo rounded out the podium once again with Chiara Consonni in 4th having just been dropped in the corners leading to the finish line in the town square. The course hasn’t changed for 2024 so we should get the usual mix of a small group coming to the finish together to sprint it out for the win.
Live Coverage
The race is in the Discovery+/Eurosport/Max schedule for 1st October 2024 – the race will also be live on Sporza in Belgium
Coverage: 12:00-13:20 BST
All times in BST
