Markus tried to escape as one of the first riders. She gained a few seconds, but her breakaway attempt soon proved unsuccessful. Later on, Marianne Vos attacked. She broke away from the peloton with forty kilometres to go. The four-time Dutch champion quickly gathered a fifty-second lead, but at twenty kilometres from the finish, Vos was caught by the now depleted peloton.
At ten kilometres from the finish, Van Anrooij escaped from a twenty-rider group. Markus was on the young rider’s wheel in no time and because the chase did not really get going, the two had gained a twenty-second lead at the foot of the final Col du VAM climb. The chasers managed to come within a few seconds but could not keep up with the strong duo. Markus attacked in the last few hundred metres and in initially it seemed Van Anrooij couldn’t follow. She fought her way back, but Markus eventually won the race. The first season victory for Markus meant Team Jumbo-Visma’s third victory of 2022.
“It’s great to win here”, the new Dutch champion said. “It was quite an emotional day. Before the start, we briefly reflected on the situation of Amy Pieters, a good friend of mine. But I quickly had to focus on the race. I felt good. We really raced well as a team today. In the final phase, it was wise not to get too much in the front because Marianne was still behind. It was important to keep cool. I attacked early and saw Shirin almost coming alongside. Fortunately, it was enough and I became Dutch champion. Last year I celebrated Amy’s title together with her. I’ve been missing her all year next to me in the race and think about her a lot. I hope she is a bit proud of me.”