Lorena Wiebes added another victory to her glittering 2025 season with a dominant sprint at La Choralis Fourmies Féminine, claiming her 24th win of the year and her 10th in one-day races. The European champion was again in a class of her own, storming to the line in Fourmies ahead of Lara Gillespie and Gladys Verhulst.
The sixth edition of the northern French race, run over 123.1km, saw constant attacking in the opening phases. A number of riders attempted to forge clear, but the flat and exposed course made it difficult for any move to stick. SD Worx-Protime, fully committed to delivering their star sprinter, closed down each attack and kept the bunch intact.
Midway through the race, teams such as FDJ-Suez and Team Visma | Lease a Bike pushed the pace in an effort to unsettle the control of SD Worx-Protime. Nina Buijsman and Églantine Rayer were particularly active in trying to force splits, while several smaller groups dangled off the front. None of them could resist the steady tempo set by Wiebes’ teammates, who ensured that the race remained under control.
As the kilometres ticked down, it became increasingly clear that the peloton was destined to contest a bunch sprint. The final laps around Fourmies were fast and nervous, with positioning crucial heading into the closing kilometres. Visma | Lease a Bike played a visible role, bringing Nienke Veenhoven to the front with a sharp lead-out from Imogen Wolff and Fem van Empel, who was making her return to the road peloton. Human Powered Health also organised late, with Kathrin Schweinberger eyeing a top placing.
The final corner, coming at just 100 metres to go, proved decisive. Wiebes launched from the centre of the road, exploding past her rivals with trademark acceleration. Gillespie, fresh off her victory at A Travers les Hauts de France the previous day, produced another strong sprint to take second. Verhulst continued her fine run of results with third place, while Veenhoven’s effort brought her close to the podium in fourth. Schweinberger rounded out the top five.
For Wiebes, the win not only extends her career tally to 117 victories but also highlights her unmatched consistency this season. She will next line up at Binche-Chimay-Binche pour Dames in October, where she will debut her Dutch national champion’s jersey, before turning her attention to the autumn World Championships on gravel and track.
2025 La Choralis Fourmies
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Main photo credit: Getty
