As it Happened: Young French star launches explosive sprint to win Brabantse Pijl Women

But the FDJ United-SUEZ rider holds on. A masterful sprint.

2026-04-17T12:40:30.807Z

Gery goes long. Bredewold is on the wheel and tries to overcome the youngster in the final few metres.

2026-04-17T12:39:54.806Z

Kopecky moving round to the front now. Gery is the first to kick off the sprint.

2026-04-17T12:39:30.559Z

Van der Breggen swings over. Bredewold takes over.

2026-04-17T12:38:49.109Z

Van der Breggen is now leading the peloton, with Kopecky in perfect position. Bredewold is there too.

Lidl-Trek leading things out for Moors.

Onto the final climb and the leaders have been caught.

2026-04-17T12:37:15.289Z

UAE Team ADQ takes over now. Swinkels would be their option in the sprint.

The gap is 13 seconds.

2026-04-17T12:36:26.552Z

Liv-AlUla-Jayco are working for Paternoster.

Lidl-Trek lurk just behind with five riders including Moors who would be a favourite in the sprint.

Van der Breggen is still refusing to work. Adegeest is measuring her effort on the front and holds the lead at 15 seconds as they approach the final climb.

2026-04-17T12:34:38.792Z

Dijkstra has been caught.

2026-04-17T12:34:09.557Z

Adegeest is still stuck on the front. The lead is just 13 seconds as Liv-ALUla-Jayco pull the chase group.

2026-04-17T12:33:37.771Z

Vallieres attacks now with Kastelijn and Holmgren on the wheel, but the world champion can’t away.

UAE Team ADQ driving things on now. The gap is crumbling as the leaders fail to collaborate. It’s suddenly less than 20 seconds.

2026-04-17T12:31:27.454Z

For the first time, the leaders are stalling. Van der Breggen doesn’t want to come through to do any more work. She seems frustrated that she wasn’t able to shake Adegeest off.

2026-04-17T12:30:38.706Z

Lidl-Trek is mobbing the front with four riders. They are doing a good job of discouraging the pursuit.

2026-04-17T12:30:02.873Z

A 4km flat section now before the final climb to the finish.

2026-04-17T12:29:26.742Z

The front duo now have 45 seconds on the chasers.

2026-04-17T12:29:01.824Z

Van der Breggen goes again. Adegeest clings on.

2026-04-17T12:28:43.508Z

It’s Moolman Pasio chasing now. She has no team-mates and is just pulling along the group of 25 riders behind her.

2026-04-17T12:28:12.794Z

Van der Breggen attacks on a small rise, but Adegeest is equal to it. What a ride today by the Lidl-Trek rider.

Ricarda Bauernfeind is attacking – curiously, as she has a team-mate up front.

Time for the penultimate climb.

2026-04-17T12:26:38.562Z

It’s Vallieres pulling on the front of the chase group, with no team-mates left. She stops and the gap will go out to the front again.

2026-04-17T12:25:46.428Z

The chasing group has split on that climb, which most likely means that there will be a dearth of domestiques to chase.

40 seconds for the chase group now.

2026-04-17T12:24:41.964Z

Van der Breggen takes a couple of bike-lengths over Adegeest as they crest the climb, but the Lidl-Trek rider pegs her back on the descent.

2026-04-17T12:24:01.960Z

The gap to the chasers is down to 30 seconds as Persico is caught. It’s Liv-AlUla-Jayco on the front.

2026-04-17T12:23:36.959Z

Dijkstra is dropped as they hit the steep section.

2026-04-17T12:23:16.781Z

Van der Breggen is pushing on now. Adegeest and Dijkstra are straining to keep up.

Onto the final ascent of the hardest climb of this race. Van der Breggen leads them on.

2026-04-17T12:20:52.398Z

Lidl-Trek are lurking near the front of the group looking to disrupt the chase with Adegeest out front. It’s working. The gap is growing again.

2026-04-17T12:19:03.145Z

The leading three are all working well together again now. They have 48 seconds over the chasers.

2026-04-17T12:18:27.856Z

EF Education-Oatly is pacing in the chase group now. Evita Muzic is helping for FDJ United-SUEZ.

On the way to the final ascent of the Moskesstraat now.

2026-04-17T12:16:39.745Z

Persico has dropped back to 24 seconds.

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And all three make it over together.

The peloton hits the climb and have closed the gap back to 55 seconds.

The penultimate cobbled ascent. 15 seconds now to Persico, with the chasers still over a minute behind.

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Persico is closing in. She has 18 seconds to make up now.

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The deficit for the chasing group is now over a minute.

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Two groups have come back to join the chasers, such is the lack of commitment to this pursuit.

The leaders take the bell for the final lap

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Not a great deal of intensity in the chase just yet. We’ve seen Van der Breggen win from this position may times before and things are looking good for the former world champion if she can shake Dijkstra and Adegeest.

On to the climb to the line for the penultimate time.

2026-04-17T12:07:36.917Z

Van der Breggen has caught the leaders. They have an advantage of 44 seconds.

2026-04-17T12:05:36.916Z

Van der Breggen appears to be riding in an illegal position on this section. The old ‘puppy paws’ position carries with it a potential disqualification.

2026-04-17T12:03:46.770Z

The chasing group is now 36 seconds behind Adegeest and Dijkstra. Van der Breggen is just 11 seconds behind the lead now, with Persico stuck in between.

2026-04-17T12:02:52.556Z

It’s Koch now pulling the group with Gery on the wheel. Is the German champion working for her young French team-mate?

The riders are on a flat section now before the S-Bocht Overijse.

2026-04-17T12:01:10.365Z

And the group stalls. No one wants to do the chasing.

2026-04-17T12:00:50.919Z

2023 winner Persico is attacking over to Van der Breggen.

2026-04-17T12:00:12.837Z

The gap to the front has shattered over the past 10km. It’s now just 20 seconds.

2026-04-17T11:59:47.178Z

Now Van der Breggen goes. Not the rider you want to let slip away. It’s Lidl-Trek chasing behind with Holmgren.

2026-04-17T11:59:13.565Z

The attack stalls now and riders are able to get back to the front. Kopecky was right at the back when Koch moved.

2026-04-17T11:58:34.483Z

Attack by Koch with Gery on the wheel. Moors, Holmgren and Moolman Pasio are on the wheel, as is Vallieres.

2026-04-17T11:57:50.306Z

There are two riders in the group for Koch, with Gery sitting on the wheel and Kraak now moving to do some work on the front.

The leaders are on the next climb.

2026-04-17T11:56:31.051Z

Van der Breggan is continuing now on this flat section. There are no more than 25 in this group left. The gap to the front in 45 seconds.

Gap down to 50 seconds.

2026-04-17T11:54:41.981Z

Vallieres and Koch are sitting together just behind Van der Breggen on the climb. Moors is there too.

2026-04-17T11:54:00.113Z

Now SD Worx-ProTime take over with Van der Breggen. The group is splitting behind.

2026-04-17T11:53:33.548Z

UAE Team ADQ get the box seat on the climb and are driving things at the bottom.

The Moskesstraat for the penultimate time. The lead is down to 1:08.

2026-04-17T11:51:46.797Z

Big lead out now by the big teams behind.

2026-04-17T11:51:17.780Z

Despite the raise in pace behind, Adegeest and Dijkstra still have 90 seconds.

2026-04-17T11:50:42.413Z

Kopecky goes to the front on a tight bend and accelerates out of it. You get the feeling that she is a coiled-spring ready to go at the moment.

2026-04-17T11:50:01.132Z

EF Education-Oatly are raising the pace on the gentle descent off the Herstraat. This is the lead-out to the Moskesstraat, which is less than two kilometres away.

2026-04-17T11:48:26.483Z

There are still round 60 riders in this bunch.

2026-04-17T11:47:51.286Z

Ashleigh Moolman Pasio has moved towards the front. The South African is taking on her final spring campaign in what will be her final season in the bunch.

2026-04-17T11:47:17.714Z

No major moves yet on the climbs.

Knaven has been caught on the Hertstraat.

The leaders have 1:24.

2026-04-17T11:43:01.397Z

1:20 for the leading pair now as the peloton hits the climb.

Back onto the S-Bocht climb. Dijkstra and Adegeest are stretching their lead as the peloton pauses.

2026-04-17T11:35:54.250Z

The leaders now have a minute on the peloton.

2026-04-17T11:35:24.327Z

It’s Britt Knaven on the attack for Citymesh-Customm. She has around 35 seconds of a deficit to the front.

2026-04-17T11:32:31.212Z

A rider from the third-tier Citymesh-Customm team is trying to bridge over to the lead.

2026-04-17T11:31:32.578Z

Paris-Roubaix champion Franziska Koch is waiting in the peloton for now.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-17T11:30:07.213Z

The leading pair now have 33 seconds.

2026-04-17T11:28:41.130Z

Junior women’s world time-trial champion Megan Arens is being distanced for Picnic-PostNL.

2026-04-17T11:27:34.780Z

The leading pair is working well together.

UAE Team ADQ and SD Worx-ProTime are putting the pressure on during this climb behind.

Quickly onto the next ascent. The lead group has 16 seconds.

2026-04-17T11:25:18.375Z

Kopecky is continuing on the front. It’s possible that she is playing a team role for Van der Breggen today.

2026-04-17T11:24:06.243Z

Kopecky moves to the front at the top of the climb and looks to test the peloton.

2026-04-17T11:23:26.257Z

All the big names have moved to the front on this climb. Not pushing on, just being ready and in position.

2026-04-17T11:21:31.539Z

Adegeest and Dijkstra have 15 seconds.

A first look at this race’s most decisive climb. The Moskesstraat is cobbled and steep. Longo Borghini used the final ascent of this climb to make her winning move last year.

2026-04-17T11:17:24.157Z

There is a big group off the back with many riders from the third-tier teams. There is also a gaggle of Picnic-PostNL riders distanced.

2026-04-17T11:16:49.946Z

Dijkstra and Adegeest are working together with a lead of 8 seconds.

2026-04-17T11:15:58.600Z

Djikstra has attacked and quickly caught Adegeest.

2026-04-17T11:15:16.098Z

Riders are being tailed off the back of the peloton.

2026-04-17T11:14:24.887Z

This one starts out steeply, with a maximum gradient of 9%.

The first cobbled climb of the day.

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Just 13 seconds for Adegeest now.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-17T11:10:42.853Z

Not long until the next climb. The ascents will be relentless from here on.

2026-04-17T11:09:56.987Z

Eleonara La Bella of continental team Aromitalia Vaiano attacked on the climb but was caught. A group of five attacked near the top and has a small advantage.

2026-04-17T11:09:02.022Z

It’s a gentle climb, winding through to the centre of Overijse. Adegeest is making her way through the finish line with three laps to go.

The riders are getting their first look of the climb to the finish

Adegeest has a lead of 15 seconds

2026-04-17T11:04:52.569Z

A bit of a lull now with the peloton happy to see Adegeest dangle out front.

2026-04-17T11:03:45.518Z

A shot of the breakaway, which was caught a few moments ago.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-17T11:02:38.388Z

The riders are approaching the first ascent of the S-Bocht Overijse, which they will tackle four times.

2026-04-17T11:01:22.071Z

The group has been caught by FDJ United-SUEZ. Loes Adegeest has launched a counter-attack and now has a 10-second lead.

2026-04-17T10:39:52.303Z

The group’s lead is up to 46 seconds.

The group’s lead remains around 30 seconds

2026-04-17T10:32:18.101Z

Surely FDJ United-SUEZ will be hoping to bring this back. The team has some strong domestiques to work on the front such as Jade Wiel and Amber Kraak, but will be keen not to burn through resources too early.

2026-04-17T10:30:23.862Z

The riders are now on a long, flat section. That could be a good place for this group to build a lead.

2026-04-17T10:29:02.395Z

A really interesting group there. All the big teams except FDJ United-SUEZ represented.

2026-04-17T10:27:47.600Z

A group of 10 has attacked from the peloton and have a lead of 30 seconds. They are:

Alexandra Volstad (EF Education-Oatly)
Nicole Steigenga (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Carina Schrempf (Fenix-Premier Tech)
Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek)
Talia Appleton (Liv-AlUla-Jayco)
Ella Wyllie (Liv-AlUla-Jayco)
Daniela Hezinova (Picnic-PostNL)
Steffi Häberlin (SD Worx-ProTime)
Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ)
Anneke Dijkstra (VolkerWessels)

Just about the longest climb of the day, but it has a gentle gradient.

2026-04-17T10:17:44.777Z

Young Belgian Fleur Moors is a nice outside pick for today.

The Lidl-Trek rider has had a breakthrough spring, with second place at In Flanders Fields the highlight. The has another young star in Isabella Holmgren who could contend today.

The peloton are ticking along at 42km/h average over these hills. It’s going to be an attritional day if this keeps up.

Another climb down.

2026-04-17T10:12:36.744Z

Axelle Dubau-Prévot is doing some of the work at the front for EF Education-Oatly team-mate Magdeleine Vallieres. Swiss champion Steffi Häberlin is driving things on too for SD Worx-ProTime.

2026-04-17T10:10:08.500Z

A few riders have already been dropped on the opening two climbs. The pace is high, the big teams are not letting any attacks get away.

2026-04-17T10:07:01.465Z

It’s a nice spring day in Belgium, with temperatures getting up to 18 degrees celsius. There’s a very gentle tailwind for much of the day and no chance of rain.

The riders are already on climb number two. Could it be a springboard for an early attack?

2026-04-17T10:03:09.716Z

There’s just one former winner of this race on the start-list today. That’s Italian Silvia Persico.

The UAE Team ADQ rider’s career has tapered off somewhat since her victory in 2023 and she is part of a strong squad with multiple leaders. Will she have any freedom to chase her own result today?

Time for the opening climb of 19 on today’s menu.

2026-04-17T09:55:59.935Z

Kopecky was not originally down to compete in this race, she has told reporters at the start in Lennik this morning. She was supposed to fly to Hong Kong this week to compete in the UCI Track World Cup, but the evolving situation in the Middle East prevented her.

No attacks in the opening stages.

2026-04-17T09:44:31.417Z

Franziska Koch must be on a high after her victory on Sunday. The German champion has had a remarkable season so far, even though she has mostly ridden in support of Demi Vollering.

The FDJ United-SUEZ rider has another opportunity to lead the team here and has to be counted among the top favourites.

The flag has dropped. Time to race.

2026-04-17T09:36:55.184Z

The riders will begin by heading south towards the first few climbs of the day before heading east to Overijse where they will take on three local laps. The laps include four key climbs which will likely decide the race: Herstraat, Moskesstraat, Holstheide and S-Bocht Overijse.

The riders are leaving Lennik.

2026-04-17T09:26:24.631Z

The teams have been announced to the crowds in Lennik and we’re almost ready to begin.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-04-17T09:24:52.454Z

This race is almost a ceremonial passing of the baton from the cobbles of Flanders to the hills of the Ardennes. The race begins in Lennik, in Flanders to the west of Brussels, and concludes in Overijse, just to the Belgian capital’s east, in Wallonia.

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The bike of a world champion. Magdeleine Vallieres has been targetting this period of racing.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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The riders will set off for the neutral start in five minutes, with the official flag-drop at 11:35 CET.

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Many of the biggest riders are sitting this one out, with one eye on the Ardennes Classics week, which begins on Sunday with Amstel Gold.

Franziska Koch is here for FDJ United-SUEZ, fresh off her spectacular victory at Paris-Roubaix Femmes.