The Egmont Cycling Race Women returned to Zottegem with its familiar lap-based format and, as predicted, the outcome was settled in a bunch sprint. That didn’t stop the race from developing a lively narrative, with a strong breakaway forcing the peloton to work hard before Martina Alzini delivered the fastest finish to beat Lonneke Uneken to the line.

From the outset, the local laps encouraged aggressive racing, and midway through the 127-kilometre course the day’s main move went clear. Francesca Pellegrini opened the action and was soon joined by Alicia González, Sabrina Stultiens, former winner Heidi Franz, Belgian gravel champion Marthe Truyen, and Norway’s Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset. The six riders combined smoothly to stretch out a lead that at its maximum touched 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Martina Alzini wins the 2025 Egmont Cycling Race!

Great effort from Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset today – only caught in the final metres. She missed 2 months of the season in fracturing her hip at Roubaix#EgmontCyclingRace pic.twitter.com/dZMrj3OBH5

— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) August 19, 2025

Behind, Cofidis and Liv AlUla Jayco assumed responsibility for keeping the move within reach. The chasing teams steadily chipped away at the deficit, whittling it down to 40 seconds with two laps to go and only 15 seconds as the race crossed the line for the final circuit.

The gap was too small for comfort, and as soon as the bell rang for the last lap Pellegrini tried to spark another reshuffle. She accelerated again, this time with Haugset and Truyen on her wheel. Truyen soon eased off, leaving Haugset to press on alone in a final bid for glory.

For a short spell, the Norwegian looked like she might defy the odds, holding off the charging peloton into the last twelve kilometres. Yet the pace behind was relentless, and she was swept up in the final few hundred metres. That left the sprinters to decide the outcome, and it was Alzini who launched at just the right moment. The Cofidis rider powered through the finish to take her first victory of the season, her second career success, ahead of Uneken in second and Cristina Tonetti in third.

VolkerWessels, who had celebrated Sofie van Rooijen’s podium here last year, came close again but had to settle for another near miss with Uneken. Meike Uiterwijk Winkel added to their strong showing with sixth place. Vittoria Grassi finished fourth, while the riders who had animated the breakaway were ultimately left unrewarded for their efforts.

Alzini’s win marked a change from last year’s solo triumph by Lieke Nooijen. Whereas 2024 had been decided by a long-range move, the 2025 edition confirmed the balance of the new route: a race where aggression could shape the day, but the fast finishers were always likely to have the last word.

2025 Egmont Cycling Race result

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