It was Amy Pieters who crossed the finish line first on behalf of Team SD Worx in an eleventh place. It took a long time before the race exploded, namely on the last climb of the Kemmelberg. Here a group of favorites managed to get away with Amy Pieters on behalf of Team SD Worx.
Later, a second and third group were able to join, including Christine Majerus, Elena Cecchini and Roxane Fournier. With 20 kilometres to go, Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) and Soraya Paladin (Liv Racing) got a small gap, but were unable to stay out of the pack. In the bunch sprint that followed, Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) managed to win. Pieters, unfortunately, got stuck in the sprint, and saw a top 10 listing pass by.
Her reaction “As a team we did a good job as we did a lot of work in the final. During the race it was quite hectic, which made it a tough day. It was sad that we’re missing Jolien in the end, and that I got stucked in the sprint. It was nice if we could complete these busy weeks with a good result. But it has been a good preparation for the Tour of Flanders.”
After the race, sports director Jack Seehafer concluded: “We’re missing the team connection today, and that 1 top end rider to work for all day. Jolien was missing the legs unfortunately and Lonneke get out of the race due to a long pursuit after a bike change. It was not the best day ”.