Victoria’s Sarah Van Dam had a great few days racing over the weekend. On Saturday she took her first pro victory with another strong result in Brittany. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider fought back from a late crash to finish fourth at the Pointe du Raz Ladies Classic on Sunday.
The 24-year-old pro was among the contenders in the 130-kilometre race from Pointe du Raz to Plouhinec, which featured rolling terrain, gravel sections and a series of finishing circuits. It was basically a women’s version of Tro-Bro Léon (and pig-free, btw.)
2026 Pointe du Raz Ladies Classic
The difficult course gradually reduced the size of the peloton, with Van Dam’s Visma – Lease a Bike team putting Katharina Sadnik into an early move alongside Amber Kraak and Megan Jastrab. The trio gained as much as 1:30 before being brought back.
The race was still unsettled with less than 30 km left when a crash split things up. Van Dam and Daniek Hengeveld were both caught up in the incident. It meant Van Dam had to put the hammer down and chase just as the decisive moves were forming.
Rosita Reijnhout was able to bridge to the front, while Elisa Longo Borghini later tried to escape on the finishing circuits. Célia Gery, Paula Blasi and Reijnhout then opened a gap, but the chase never allowed them to get too far clear.
Van Dam makes it back to the chase group
Van Dam eventually made it back to the chase group with help from teammate Imogen Wolff, using a teammate’s bike to close the gap.
The front group came back together in the closing kilometres, setting up a sprint for the win. France’s Nina Berton took the victory, with Van Dam finishing fourth.
“I was just a little short in the sprint, but we can absolutely be proud of the way we raced,” Van Dam said. “We fought all the way to the finish.”
Van Dam will be heading back to Canada soon. She’ll be part of a very strong squad for the elite women’s team, alongside defending champion Magdeleine Vallières Mill. Mill will be in Canada even sooner, where she’s part of one of two national teams racing the Tour de Gatineau. Cycling Canada received special permission from the UCI to enter an elite women’s and under-23 team as prep for the road worlds. The elites will wear the familiar red and white kit, while the under-23 women will wear the black and white version usually worn by masters at the age-group worlds.