Early in the race a front group of two riders formed. They gained a maximum lead of about three minutes. After the front group was caught at 80 kilometres from the finish, the race flared up on the difficult part of the course.
After the climb of the Baneberg, the leading group consisted of five riders. Anna Henderson was part of this group in behalf of Team Jumbo-Visma. After Coryn Labecki had also managed to cross over after the first climb of Mount Kemmel, Team Jumbo-Visma had two representatives in the front group. The peloton recognised the danger of the attack and pulled back the front group.
On the second climb of the Kemmelberg, the favourites increased the pace one more time. Vos climbed with the best and arrived at the top with a select group. Later on Labecki, Henderson and Riejanne Markus also joined.
With twenty-five kilometres to go, it rained attacks, but no one managed to escape. Despite all the attacks, a sprint from the depleted peloton was inevitable. In this sprint, Vos was able to position herself well thanks to the work of Labecki, Henderson and Markus, but came up just short for the win.
For Vos, her first Flemish classic of the year was a tough race. “The sprint was also difficult. When you arrive with such a large group, it’s hard to time it well, and Balsamo was incredibly fast. I don’t think much went wrong. The team did a great job. We tried to make it a difficult race and position me well in the end. I am satisfied. I would have liked to win, but I had to settle for second place.”
In a week, the Tour of Flanders is on the programme. Vos: “We will take a good look at the Ronde next week and explore a few things to be ready for next week.”