The women’s Dutch road race championship in Ede always looked destined for a sprint finish, and in the end that’s exactly how it played out. But the build-up was far from dull. After early breakaways, repeated attacks and a dramatic late crash, Lorena Wiebes timed her sprint perfectly to claim a dominant second national title – six years after her first.
The peloton rolled out at 9:30am for three laps of a 41km circuit around Ede, covering 123 kilometres in total. With just 115 metres of climbing per lap, there was little to stop a full bunch sprint. But VolkerWessels, the largest team in the race with thirteen riders, weren’t content to let it come to that without a fight. Within the first 10km, Eline Jansen and Lonneke Uneken jumped clear and quickly carved out a decent gap.
They were joined in the chase momentarily by Noa Jansen, whose solo pursuit eventually came to nothing as the peloton remained calm. The break’s lead peaked at around two and a half minutes before the bunch, led primarily by SD Worx-Protime, reeled them in with over 40km to go.
Even after the regrouping, the pace never let up. Demi Vollering attacked twice in quick succession, trying to force a selection or at least disrupt the rhythm. But both moves were marked and neutralised as the sprint teams took no chances.
Vos and Vollering crash as SD Worx-Protime dominate the finale
With under 5km to go, the race began to line out as SD Worx-Protime took over. Mischa Bredewold did the lion’s share of the work on the front, setting a fierce pace before handing over to Lisa van Belle, Femke Markus and Femke Gerritse in a well-drilled lead-out. The Visma train made an attempt to move up, but were outmuscled in the closing moments.
Just as the peloton approached the final kilometre, a crash took down several riders, among them Marianne Vos and Demi Vollering. Both got back on and finished the race, but their chances of contesting the win were over in an instant.
Up front, Charlotte Kool launched first from the left side of the road. It looked a bold move – and briefly a promising one – but Wiebes remained composed. Sprinting up the right, she surged past Kool and opened up several bike lengths before the line. Nienke Veenhoven followed them in for third, while Kool had to settle for silver once again.
Veenhoven’s 3rd place saw her take the U23 title ahead of Puck Langenbarg and Scarlett Souren, who finished right behind in 4th and 5th places overall.
A parting moment for Van den Broek-Blaak
Before the racing began, outgoing champion Chantal van den Broek-Blaak received a guard of honour from the peloton. Having retired earlier this season, the 2017 world champion was honoured with a fitting farewell in front of the home crowd.
Wiebes, already European champion and now Dutch champion again, confirmed that her big focus remains the Tour de France Femmes in July. Based on this display, she’s right where she needs to be.
2025 Dutch National Championships Road Race result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
