Ronde van Brugge Women LIVE: A surprise winner in the bunch sprint after a tough day in West Flanders

But Lloyd holds on. What a show of strength from the 19-year-old.

2026-03-26T16:19:16.438Z

Carys Lloyd launches first for Movistar, but the others are coming behind her

2026-03-26T16:18:41.052Z

Gillespie, Wiebes and Consonni are well positioned ahead of the final sprint

2026-03-26T16:18:10.952Z

Lidl-Trek make a big move on the left with Balsamo well positioned

Wiebes only has one team-mate left

2026-03-26T16:17:15.956Z

Lidl-Trek now appear at the front.

2026-03-26T16:17:03.393Z

Big crash on the right side of the peloton, taking out Kool, Schweinberger and Couzens.

This is impressive from Visma-Lease a Bike. Other teams come to the front and then fade, but the Dutch team has remained at the head of things for a long time.

Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto come to the front now in support of Consonni.

2026-03-26T16:13:55.790Z

There’s a lot of road furniture for the riders to navigate around now.

Marta Lach is driving things on for Wiebes, who is well positioned, as she has been for the entire day.

2026-03-26T16:11:19.012Z

Uno-X Mobility have been riding well all day and young Finnish rider Anniina Ahtosalo has been on the front for a long time. They have Linda Zanetti to contest the sprint.

2026-03-26T16:10:12.329Z

Visma-Lease a Bike are gathered on the left of the peloton. They are looking after young Dutch rider Nienke Veenhoven, who was sixth here last year.

There’s not been much action today in terms of splits and attacks, but it’s been a tough day out there nonetheless. It’s been nervous all day with the unknown of the wind and the downpour earlier really battered the riders.

There certainly appears to be a fair amount of fatigue in the peloton. How will that impact the final sprint?

The riders are on a wide section of road now. Teams are trying to use this as an opportunity to get to the front.

2026-03-26T16:06:21.454Z

It’s not a simple finale. There is plenty of road furniture now as the peloton heads into Bruges. The road width varies over the final few kilometres and there are several bends inside the final few kilometres.

2026-03-26T16:04:43.282Z

It’s a stalemate now. The wind isn’t blowing hard enough or in the right direction. We’re heading for a sprint.

2026-03-26T16:02:00.778Z

Some teams are fighting for the front, others are biding their time. Lidl-Trek and FDJ United-SUEZ are the latter at the moment and will look to make a big move on the approach to the finale.

The attackers are caught. We’re heading for a big sprint in Bruges.

2026-03-26T15:57:37.333Z

Marta Lach is at the front for SD Worx-ProTime. On the other side, Fenix-Premier Tech are there in numbers for Charlotte Kool.

The gap is coming down as teams organise behind. The leaders have 11 seconds.

2026-03-26T15:55:33.733Z

The young Dutch leading duo are working nicely together. Their lead is approaching 20 seconds with 17km to go.

2026-03-26T15:55:01.653Z

The peloton are quite relaxed about the leading pair at the moment. SD Worx-ProTime have come to the front to control things.

2026-03-26T15:52:45.604Z

The leaders have stretched out their advantage above 10 seconds.

2026-03-26T15:50:58.295Z

The peloton have not immediately reacted and the pair are building a small lead.

The EF Education-Oatly rider is Babette van de Wolf.

2026-03-26T15:50:01.854Z

Attack by two riders. It’s Jony van den Eijnden from Citymesh-Customm and a rider from EF Education-Oatly.

2026-03-26T15:48:59.488Z

Quinty Ton puts in a speculative move for Liv-AlUla-Jayco. The Australian team have been among the keenest to avoid a sprint today, but it’s looking inevitable at the moment.

2026-03-26T15:47:58.836Z

Not quite as much destruction this time around. Just a few riders have been tailed off the back.

2026-03-26T15:47:09.521Z

The peloton is on the section where things split on the first lap now, and it’s splitting again.

2026-03-26T15:46:28.405Z

Mechanical issue for Katharina Sadnik

2026-03-26T15:46:04.537Z

Alison Jackson on the attack on the Brieversweg

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T15:44:51.178Z

The riders are into Damme now and are on a short cobbled section.

The riders are going into a block headwind now and things are all bunched together.

2026-03-26T15:43:30.916Z

A bit of a squeeze in the bunch and two riders were forced to unclip and ride on the grass for a moment. It’s a bit nervy out there.

2026-03-26T15:41:24.742Z

Here’s an idea of the conditions the riders faced earlier.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T15:39:25.376Z

The riders turned right shortly after the Brieversweg, back into a headwind. They will soon turn left into the section of road that split things last time.

Jackson sits up, seeing that her move is a lost cause with all the big teams chasing.

2026-03-26T15:37:22.142Z

It’s Hanson on the front of the bunch now. Jackson has a handful of seconds.

2026-03-26T15:36:42.742Z

Jackson attacks solo now and has a small gap.

Back onto the cobbles and it’s Lauretta Hanson driving things on for Lidl-Trek. She has drifted off the front with four other riders including Alison Jackson.

2026-03-26T15:35:15.863Z

Big pickup by Lidl-Trek approaching the cobbles.

2026-03-26T15:34:53.678Z

Anya Louw has dropped off the back of the peloton having done some work for Shari Bossuyt earlier today.

2026-03-26T15:33:39.808Z

The Brieversweg is imminent.

2026-03-26T15:32:45.881Z

SD Worx-ProTime haven’t done a lot of work on the front yet today. Lidl-Trek are currently on the front on one side of the peloton, with a second train full of Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto riders on the other side.

2026-03-26T15:29:40.175Z

Shortly after the cobbled section the riders will pass through Damme and take a left turn. That’s where we saw the peloton split into echelons on the last lap.

2026-03-26T15:27:47.835Z

There are 5km until the second and final passing of the Brieversweg cobblestone section.

2026-03-26T15:27:04.363Z

A shot of the peloton heading through Bruges.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T15:26:04.715Z

Mexican rider Romina Hinojosa is among a small group that has just re-joined the front of the race.

2026-03-26T15:25:29.828Z

As quickly as the rain came, it now appears to be lifting. Several riders have latched back onto the front.

Ally Wollaston is well positioned at the front now, as is Chiara Consonni.

2026-03-26T15:22:44.131Z

Wiebes is very well placed towards the front.

There are more splits. Riders are chasing hard to get back on, but a leading group of 40 have a small lead.

2026-03-26T15:21:38.843Z

Big splits in the bunch now. It doesn’t look like it’s the wind causing the separations, just the pace from UAE Team ADQ and the battering rain.

2026-03-26T15:20:30.863Z

The peloton is really strung out now. UAE Team ADQ are using the conditions to their advantage and are pushing on.

2026-03-26T15:19:47.246Z

It has been sunny all day, but suddenly the rain has started pelting the riders. Awful conditions now and a rider has fallen on a roundabout.

2026-03-26T15:17:58.209Z

The heavens have opened over the peloton. This is a really heavy downpour.

2026-03-26T15:15:55.549Z

Coupland has a mark on her helmet and is having a concussion check.

There’s been a fall near the back of the bunch. Coupland is down alongside riders from Picnic-PostNL and VolkerWessels. Eve Kuipers is also down for Fenix-Premier Tech.

2026-03-26T15:12:45.684Z

The pace is up again, with UAE Team ADQ and Liv-AlUla-Jayco trying to cause some damage. The peloton is on an exposed section again.

2026-03-26T15:11:32.969Z

Young Australian champion Mackenzie Coupland has been really impressive this season.

She’s on the front now raising the pace.

2026-03-26T15:10:47.642Z

AG Insurance-Soudal are at the front in number, keeping Bossuyt out of trouble.

The peloton is fanned across the road, with all the big teams present near the front.

2026-03-26T15:05:13.025Z

The peloton is heading south towards Oostkamp. After that, they will turn left and head east. With the wind coming in strongly from the riders’ left, will any team try to split things?

2026-03-26T15:01:46.191Z

UAE Team ADQ were central to the attempts to split the race earlier. They are likely to try again soon.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T14:59:25.244Z

Wiebes is back in the peloton now, as are Chiara Consonni and Zoe Backstedt, who were also off the back.

2026-03-26T14:58:08.611Z

The riders are in the centre of Bruges now. There won’t be any crosswind action until they are in a more exposed area.

2026-03-26T14:56:59.514Z

The riders have passed through the finish line for the first time. Next time, it will be for the win.

There was an intermediate sprint across the line in Bruges, taken by a rider from Lotto-Intermarché Ladies

The Dutch champion is still quite a way off the back at the moment, but there’s no panic as the pace is still slow in the bunch.

2026-03-26T14:54:29.392Z

Lorena Wiebes is off the back and making her way back to the peloton. She has a team-mate with her and is moving through the cars.

2026-03-26T14:51:33.557Z

Will the race split over the next 62km, or are we heading for a full bunch sprint in Bruges?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T14:50:01.277Z

A bit of a pause in the hostilities here as more riders take off the winter gear or go back to the cars for bottles.

2026-03-26T14:47:59.461Z

FDJ United-SUEZ, Liv-AlUla-Jayco and Lidl-Trek are riding with numbers at the head of the bunch.

2026-03-26T14:47:03.531Z

Several riders are using this calmer moment as an opportunity to ditch jackets and arm-warmers.

2026-03-26T14:46:26.792Z

The peloton is heading through the town of Dudzele now.

2026-03-26T14:43:40.962Z

It’s very exposed at the moment, but no team is taking it on just yet.

2026-03-26T14:42:38.491Z

A back wheel puncture for VolkerWessel’s young sprinter Scarlett Souren

The peloton takes another left turn. Now it’s a strong cross-tailwind for the next 10km.

2026-03-26T14:40:13.459Z

The pace is up again in the peloton, but the wind direction isn’t quite right to split things at the moment.

2026-03-26T14:39:42.507Z

The riders have passed through the popular tourist destination of Damme. That’s where the first echelons were formed.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T14:37:21.655Z

There was no action on the first cobbled sector of the day.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T14:35:46.422Z

Big move by FDJ United-SUEZ on the left side of the peloton. The riders are about to turn left into a crosswind.

There has been a fall in the middle of the peloton. Mylene de Zoete is down and her race looks to be over.

Robyn Clay was the other rider down, but she is back in the peloton.

2026-03-26T14:33:34.509Z

The sun is out in West Flanders, but it is still cold. Almost every rider has arm-warmers and gilets on.

2026-03-26T14:32:11.823Z

The chasing group, including Zanetti, has latched back onto the leading group.

There were several riders from Picnic-PostNL in that second group. They will need to be much more attentive with the direction changes again.

2026-03-26T14:30:02.455Z

The pace has dropped again now with the riders now facing a headwind. The chasing group is likely to come back.

2026-03-26T14:29:18.140Z

Bike change for Linda Zanetti. Bad timing for the Uno-X Mobility sprinter.

2026-03-26T14:28:52.676Z

The course will turn left again in around 10km for a longer stretch, giving a better opportunity to really split things up.

The riders have just turned north, back into the headwind now, so the chasing group have a chance to get back on.

The race is in two groups. Around 20 riders are trying to chase back onto a large front group.

2026-03-26T14:25:39.541Z

The wind is blowing and the likes of Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease a Bike and Fenix-Premier Tech are lifting the pace at the front.

A few riders are being tailed off the back on this exposed section.

2026-03-26T14:23:46.573Z

Lidl-Trek are mobbed towards the front of the peloton at the moment.

2026-03-26T14:21:47.963Z

The riders have completed 60km now, but there is still no breakaway.

2026-03-26T14:19:22.675Z

Key SD Worx-ProTime domestique Femke Gerritse is returning to the peloton after a bike swap.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Brieversweg is over. They will return to it with 30km of the race left.

The riders have turned westward and are onto the cobbled section for the first time.

It’s flat and straight, but it could cause a few issues.

2026-03-26T14:10:29.804Z

The riders have been riding into a headwind for the last 20km or so, which could be why we’ve not seen any moves go up the road yet. The course twists and turns now, so we coould see some action – especially with the cobbles.

2026-03-26T14:07:34.434Z

Susanne Andersen and Linda Zanetti will be Uno-X Mobility’s best hopes for a result today.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T14:00:58.066Z

There is still no breakaway. The riders are 5km away from the first passing of the Brieversweg cobble section.

2026-03-26T13:55:14.313Z

AG Insurance-Soudal’s Shari Bossuyt is an outsider for the win today.

The 25-year-old is taking on her first full season since returning from an anti-doping suspension and is yet to finish outside of the top-7 in any of her races so far in 2026.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The riders are entering the local circuit. It’s nearly time for some cobbles.

2026-03-26T13:50:34.526Z

We’re an hour in and the riders have covered 42 kilometres.

2026-03-26T13:50:11.945Z

Wiebes has said before the start that she is looking to see the race split up today in the crosswinds.

“Hopefully the crosswinds break things up and a small group rides to the finish for a sprint,” she said to the media before the start.

2026-03-26T13:45:35.028Z

The cobbled sector is 1.3km long, completely flat and dead-straight. The stones themselves are small and uniform, so this isn’t the toughest sector of cobbles you’re likely to see over the next couple of weeks.

2026-03-26T13:44:01.697Z

The riders are just entering the town of Beernem. There are 6km left until they enter the circuit and a further 8 until the first passing of the Brieversweg cobbled sector.

2026-03-26T13:40:23.633Z

Lorena Wiebes has removed her leg warmers. That either means that conditions are getting better, or she’s getting ready for things to kick-off in the wind.

There’s still no breakaway

2026-03-26T13:32:44.700Z

The Visma-Lease a Bike squad rolling to the sign-on area earlier.

The Dutch team has last year’s sixth-place rider in its line-up today, 22-year-old Nienke Veenhoven. Can she improve on that performance today?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T13:29:07.248Z

UAE Team ADQ’s Sofie van Rooijen returning to the peloton after a puncture.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T13:28:22.507Z

The riders have completed 29 kilometres and are heading into the town of Wingene. After that, they will turn north into a headwind and towards the local circuit.

2026-03-26T13:26:40.601Z

It’s not currently raining on the course, but you can see the spray coming from Margaux Vigie’s back wheel here. Tough conditions out there today.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The bunch is still together and ticking along at over 45km per hour.

2026-03-26T13:19:23.185Z

One of the more eye-catching stories from the men’s race yesterday was the crash on the cobbled sector caused by a sitting climate protestor. Several riders came down in the incident.

The riders have less than 300 metres of elevation on the course today. There won’t be many flatter races than that all season.

2026-03-26T13:06:46.330Z

The peloton is all together at the moment

2026-03-26T13:05:49.333Z

The riders are through the town of Torhout and are now heading east.

2026-03-26T13:05:05.409Z

It’s 7 degrees celsius out there today, with the wind making it feel much cooler. Riders are dressed in full winter kit.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-26T13:02:52.808Z

An early mechanical issue for Femke Markus of SD Worx-ProTime. She will be a key helper for Wiebes later on.

2026-03-26T12:56:50.171Z

After that, the peloton will head east, which could mean an early chance for echelons.

2026-03-26T12:55:28.311Z

With 5km done, the riders are heading south towards the town of Torhout.

2026-03-26T12:54:33.595Z

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The race is underway.

2026-03-26T12:44:48.835Z

Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Balsamo in high spirits at the start in the centre of Bruges. Can she challenge Wiebes today?

The riders are setting off. They will ride through Bruges behind the commissaire’s car before being unleashed at around 13:45 CET.

2026-03-26T12:29:50.415Z

Looking a bit deeper into the start-list today, let’s see who else could contend for the win.

Fenix-Premier Tech’s Charlotte Kool appears to be back on form this year after a difficult 2025. The two-time Tour de France Femmes stage-winner took the win at the FENIX-EKOÏ Omloop van het Hageland at the beginning of this month and scored a top-10 at Milan-San Remo.

Chiara Consonni is always there in the big sprints, but often doesn’t have the top-end speed to beat the quickest riders.

Georgia Baker is in a similar boat to Consonni and Liv-AlUla-Jayco will be hoping she can contend for a top-5 today.

2026-03-26T12:21:57.231Z

So what do the riders have to tackle out on the route today? It’s a pan-flat course, starting and finishing in Bruges, but that doesn’t mean that the race is absent of obstacles.

As evidenced by the men’s race yesterday, there are plenty of opportunities to split the race should the wind blow hard enough due to the many exposed sections of road.

There is also a cobbled sector that the riders will take on twice. The Brieversweg is 1.3km long and will be taken on with 90km to go and then 30km to go.

2026-03-26T12:18:48.659Z

Originally, Wiebes had planned to sit out the race today. However, after reigning Luxembourg national champion Marie Schreiber pulled out of the race, SD Worx-ProTime opted to replace her with the pre-eminent sprinter of this generation.

Wiebes missed out on fighting for the victory in San Remo on Saturday and seems keen to add another WorldTour win to her collection today.

“She is in good shape and was very keen to add the Bruges Cycling Classic to her calendar once it became clear that Marie Schreiber wouldn’t be fit in time. So we will try to defend her victory,” Sports Director Christian Kos said ahead of the race.