Lorena Wiebes delivered on expectations in Erpe-Mere, sprinting to her seventeenth victory of the season in the upgraded 1.1 GP Lucien Van Impe. The European champion timed her effort perfectly in the final straight to beat Susanne Andersen and Shari Bossuyt, the latter celebrating her first podium finish since returning from suspension.
The parcours featured the climbs of La Houppe, the Leberg, and Hostellerie in the opening 50 kilometres before flattening out into five finishing laps of 10.9km. Early aggression shaped the race, with Marit Raaijmakers and India Grangier briefly moving clear before being swept up. On La Houppe, the peloton fragmented, but order was restored soon after the Hostellerie, leaving a regrouped bunch to tackle the final circuits.
The most dangerous move came from Quinty Schoens, who launched solo with more than 50 kilometres to go. The VolkerWessels rider built up nearly a minute’s advantage and held out deep into the finale. She was eventually joined by Anouska Koster and Steffi Häberlin, but the trio were caught inside the final five kilometres as the sprint teams organised themselves.
From there, Team SD Worx-Protime assumed control. Wiebes herself admitted she was able to race without pressure. “2025 has been a great season so far. The pressure is off, so I was able to go into the GP Lucien Van Impe more freely. I raced freely and openly, but knew I could always count on my sprint. The girls led the chase. Steffi Häberlin took care of the last part of the final, after which Barbara Guarischi took over the last kilometre. It was quite tough in second position, because there was quite a bit of headwind heading into the corner. Fortunately, there was still enough power left to catch the girls coming up behind. It felt good to win and finish the work of Team SD Worx-Protime.”
Her turn of speed left Andersen and Bossuyt no chance in the closing metres, as Wiebes succeeded Evy Kuijpers on the honours list of a race that pays tribute to Lucien Van Impe, the last Belgian to win the Tour de France in 1976. With the elevation to 1.1 status, the race attracted a stronger field including Marta Lach, Cat Ferguson, and Wiebes herself, and the outcome confirmed why she began the day as the overwhelming favourite.
2025 GP Lucien Van Impe result
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