The 2025 Simac Ladies Tour began in Leuven with an 81.3km circuit race that produced a mix of attacking riding and late drama before culminating in the expected sprint. Lorena Wiebes, the European champion with SD Worx-Protime, claimed victory and the first leader’s jersey, but the path to the finish was anything but straightforward.
How the stage unfolded
The race featured eleven laps of a 7.1km circuit, with short climbs including the Keizersberg and Hoge Berglaan providing launchpads for attacks. From the start, the pace was brisk and attempts to escape came thick and fast. Riejanne Markus, Clara Copponi and Emma Norsgaard all tried to make moves stick but were swiftly shut down. The first rider to really open a gap was Lauretta Hanson of Lidl-Trek, who spent time alone off the front before being reeled back in.
The bunch continued to see surges, with Ellen van Dijk – competing in her final professional race – drawing cheers as she attacked in trademark style. Her move was also controlled, but it underlined the intent of those eager to animate what might otherwise have been a straightforward sprint stage.
The real turning point came when Margaux Vigie of Visma | Lease a Bike and Pfeiffer Georgi of Picnic PostNL combined forces. Their late move was well-timed, building a gap of 30 seconds with two laps to go. Behind, SD Worx-Protime hesitated, wary of doing all the work to set up Wiebes. Even a probing effort from Wiebes herself was quickly abandoned, leaving the duo clear deep into the finale.
As the final 10km ticked down, the escape looked increasingly dangerous, with the gap still around 20 seconds. It was Lidl-Trek, keen to set up Elisa Balsamo, who finally took responsibility. Their concerted chase cut into the advantage, bringing the leaders back in sight as the race turned onto the Bondgenotenlaan for the final time. Georgi and Vigie were caught agonisingly close to the line, swept up just before the sprint opened.
Once the regrouping happened, the outcome was inevitable. Wiebes launched her sprint with power and precision, distancing Balsamo and Copponi by several lengths. Vigie, having spent her energy in the break, still clung on to fifth place at the line.
Wiebes’ victory secured her the first leader’s jersey of the Simac Ladies Tour and extended her reputation as the fastest finisher in the peloton. The opening day also highlighted the tactical dynamics at play: for all of Wiebes’ dominance, it took Lidl-Trek’s late chase to bring her rivals back and make the sprint possible. The race now moves to Gennep, where hillier roads will offer very different opportunities.
Lorena Wiebes wins the opening stage of the 2025 Simac Ladies Tour!
The predicted outcome but Lidl-Trek rolled the dice today with rolling attacks to thin out the SD Worx train successfully but she’s still too strong#SLT2025 pic.twitter.com/ZUQKcDbgPf
— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) September 2, 2025
2025 Simac Ladies Tour Stage 1 result
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