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Thanks for joining our live text coverage of Brabantse Pijl women 2024. You can read the full race report here.
Top-10
Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of Brabantse Pijl 2024:
Alexandra Manly of Liv AlUla Jayco takes third
Demi Vollering takes second
After winning Flanders just a few weeks ago, Elisa Longo Borghini adds her first Brabantse Pijl to her palmares!
Vollering has only just reached the bottom of the climb
Longo Borghini goes under the Flamme Rouge
The gap to Vollering is 39 seconds
Longo Borghini reaches the bottom of the final climb
Vollering is holding off the chasers but Longo Borghini is long gone.
1.5 km to go
Longo Borghini now had 35 seconds on Vollering
Vollering is struggling to close the gap to Longo Borghini
6.6 km to go
Vollering has been distanced!
Elisa Longo Borghini attacks and Demi Vollering looks to be struggling to follow the Italian!
Pauleina Rooijakkers (Fenix – Deceuninck) attacks followed by Ashleigh Moolman Pasio of AG Insurance -Soudal
The leaders are about to reach the Holstheide climb, the penultimate climb of the day
8 km to go
Clara Koppenburg (Cofidis) attacks from the peloton
With less than 10 km to go it looks like this race is now between Longo Borghini and Vollering — can the Flanders champion add another win to her successful 2024 season so far, or will the Dutch champion re-stake her claim on the Ardennes?
Vigilia has been distanced
10 km to go
Longo Borghini leads over the top of the climb
Longo Borghini comes past Vollering!
Vigilia is struggling to hold on to the pace set by Vollering
Vollering leads on the Moskesstraat
On the long, straight stretch of road the chasers are able to see the leading trio but the gap is still 23 seconds
11 km to go
Gigante still maintains a small gap
The leaders are approaching the Moskesstraat
The gap to the three leaders is 26 seconds
Gigante is a strong time triallist, can she bridge to the leaders?
Attack from Sarah Gigante from the chase group!
15 km to go
The leaders are on the Herstraat for the final time
EF Education Cannondale lead the chase behind
28 seconds now for the leaders
Vollering, Longo Borghini, and Vigilia have 20 seconds as Vollering drives the pace.
18 km to go
The leading trio have a gap of 21 seconds
Sarah Gigante of AG Insurance Soudal leads the chase group
Vollering, Longo Borghini, and Vigilia have a gap. Vigilia is struggling to hold on as they pass through the finish line for the penultimate time.
Elisa Longo Borghini follows as Alessia Vigilia hangs on by a thread
Huge attack from Demi Vollering!
Vollering and Longo Borghini continue to work but the gap is only 11 seconds
22 km to go
Longo Borghini is speaking into her radio as the chasers have the breakaway in their sights
A second group joins up with the chase group
Amber Kraak of FDJ SUEZ and Mavi Garcia of Liv AlUla Jayco lead the chase group
Longo Borghini and Vollering are looking around. The gap is 15 seconds — will one of them attack on this climb?
The leading group are on the S-Bocht Overijse
8 seconds separate this leading group from the chase group
Vollering and Longo Borghini are sharing the work in the front group as the remainder of the breakaway riders continue to hold on
26 km to go
The riders are approaching the penultimate ascent of the S-Bocht Overijse
Longo Borghini drives the pace
Vollering and Longo Borghini have caught the breakaway!
Behind Vollering and Longo Borghini there is another small group including Mavi Garcia and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio
28 km to go
Longo Borghini and Vollering have the breakaway in their sights
Karin Söderqvist has been dropped from the breakaway
The gap to the break is now only 20 seconds thanks to the activity behind
Vollering passes Longo Borghini but the Italian follows
Acceleration from Elisa Longo Borghini with Demi Vollering on her wheel
Shirin van Anrooij is at the front of the peloton with Elisa Longo Borghini on her wheel
Behind, teams are performing full lead-outs into the bottom of the climb
The breakaway are on the Moskestraat
Lidl-Trek come to the front of the peloton with FDJ SUEZ alongside them on the run-in to the Moskesstraat
The American rider is caught by the peloton.
Attack by Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) from the peloton. The American rider is a former winner of this race.
45 seconds now for the breakaway group
36 km to go
The peloton are on the Herstraat climb
The breakaway’s margin is back up to 30 seconds now after the reinforcements from Bertizzolo and Vigilia.
Bertizzolo leads the breakaway down the descent
Two laps to go!
40 km to go
The pace in the peloton is much calmer this time around on the climb.
Emily Watts is struggling to hang on to the front group on the climb
15 seconds between the breakaway and the peloton
41 km to go
The leaders are approaching the S-Bocht Overijse
We now have a group of six at the front as the two chasers of Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ) and Alessia Vigilia (FDJ – SUEZ) catch the breakaway riders.
The two chasers are about to reach the early breakaway
A move from FDJ Suez and UAE Team ADQ. The chasers and the peloton have the breakaway in their sights now.
43 km to go
Attack from Tiffany Cromwell of Canyon//SRAM
After a flurry of attacks in the peloton the pace settles down but the break now has only 35 seconds on the peloton
37 seconds now for the breakaway
Femke Gerritse of SD Worx attacks, Elisa Longo Borghini chases her down
Attack from Mischa Bredewold of SD Worx – Protime
Counter attack by Brodie Chapman of Lidl-Trek
Longo Borghini and co are caught by the peloton.
Mavi Garcia and Mischa Bredewold join the Longo Borghini group
The gap between the breakaway and this chase group is now down to 48 seconds
Longo Borghini is joined by her teammate Shirin van Anrooij, Demi Vollering of SD Worx – Protime and Amber Kraak and a teammate from FDJ SUEZ.
Labecki has been caught by her breakaway companions
Longo Borghini continues her move over the top of the Moskesstraat and the remaining four riders behind her are struggling to hold on to her pace
Behind, Elisa Longo Borghini attacks from the peloton
Coryn Labecki has attacked the breakaway at the top of the Moskesstraat!
The break are on the Moskesstraat climb
FDJ SUEZ are lined out at the front of the peloton on the approach to the Moskesstraat
51km to go
After a flurry of attacks the pace has slowed
The gap to the break of four is now down to just 1’26”
55 km to go
Perkins is caught and Mischa Bredewold of SD Worx – Protime drives the pace on the front followed by Shirin van Anrooij of Lidl-Trek
Counter attack by Flora Perkins (Fenix – Deceuninck) on the Hertstraat
The group has been caught
A group of four riders have chipped off the front including Mikayla Harvey of UAE Team ADQ and Mavi Garcia of Liv AlUla Jayco,
Attack by a rider from UAE Team ADQ
Blanka Vas takes over at the front of the peloton as they reach the top of the climb which will be the finish line in three lap’s time.
56.6 km to
Vollering’s pace has stretched the peloton out
Another massive injection of pace from Demi Vollering on the S-Bocht Overijse climb.
The break are on the S-Bocht Overijse climb
The gap to the break is down to 2’33”
61 km to go
Vas is caught with Lidl – Trek doing most of the work to chase her down
SD Worx are making this race as hard as possible with relentless attacks from their riders. Now it’s Hungarian champion Blaka Vas who goes.
Gerritse has been caught by the peloton
The activity in the peloton has brought the gap to the break down to 2’54”
64 km to go
Counter attack from Femke Gerritse
Vollering’s pace has strung the peloton out
Gaia Realini (Lidl – Trek) jumps straight on the Dutch champion’s move
Demi Vollering attacks!
The peloton are not riding hard at the moment as the breakaway of four have a three and a half minute lead
Stina Kagevi (Coop – Repsol) has been caught by the peloton.
We are half way through the race!
67 km to go
Crash in the peloton, no details as to who is involved yet.
Sophie Wright (Fenix Deceuninck) is back in the peloton.
Situation:
82 km to go
Wright and Kagevi have 15 seconds on the peloton who are three minutes behind the leading quartet
We have a counter attack from within the peloton from Sophie Wright (Fenix – Deceuninck) and Stina Kagevi of (Team Coop – Repsol)
88 km to go
Labecki is the most dangerous rider in this break. It’s very early to say, but if the break were to make it, Labecki’s fast finish makes her best placed to take the win. The chances are slim, however, with the calibre of the teams in the peloton behind.
The gap is up to 2 minutes and 40 seconds now.
97 km to go
Two minutes now for the leading four as they approach the next climb, Rue de Nivelles (1.6 km at 4.3%)
The gap for the four leaders is now one minute.
110 km to go
Emily Watts of Chevalmeire joins the breakaway and the leaders have a 30 second gap.
Coryn Labecki of EF Education Cannondale joins Söderqvist and Molenaar and the trio have a small gap as they approach the Eigenbrakelsesteenweg climb.
Karin Söderqvist of Lifeplus Wahoo counters
Laura Molenaar of VolkerWessels Women’s Pro Cycling Team attacks!
119 km to go
There have been no attacks so far in the race. The peloton are approaching the first climbs which come in quick succession, Bruineput (0.9 km at 5.9%), followed by Eigenbrakelsesteenweg (0.8 km at 4.6%).
124 km to go
There has been a crash involving four riders, Nicole Frain and Grac Lister of Hess Cycling Team, Marit Raaijmakers of Human Powered Health and Josephine Péloquin of Team Komugi – Grand Est. All riders are up and back on their bikes, however!
Kristen Faulkner of EF Education – Cannondale is marked as a DNS today. Her team said Via X: “Kristen Faulkner is feeling unwell and will not start De Brabanste Pijl. She will head home to recover. Hope to see you at the races soon, Kristen.”
It’s been a fast start to the race so far as the peloton are still all together – no breakaway has been able to form just yet!
129.5 km to go
And they are gone for the official start, 134.9 km of racing lies ahead of the peloton.
134.9km
The sun is shining in Belgium and Elisa Longo Borghini is happy about it.
The neutral start has been given!
The riders will roll out in ten minutes time (10:50am CEST) for a 3.8 km neutral start before the official start at 10:58 CEST.
2024 Flanders winner Elisa Longo Borghini will also be racing alongside Lidl-Trek’s Italian climber Gaia Realini as well as Shirin van Anrooij, Amanda Spratt, Ilaria Sanguineti, and Brodie Chapman.
Last year’s winner, Silvia Persico of UAE Team ADQ, will not be starting today but tripe Ardennes winner Demi Vollering will be on the start line in Sint-Kwintens-Lennik alongside a strong SD Worx – ProTime squad.
Although this race isn’t in the Women’s WorldTour it’s an important preparation race and an insight into who is on form going into the main Ardennes week.
The cobbled classics are over for this year and it’s on to the Ardennes starting with Brabantse Pijl
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews’ live coverage of De Brabantse Pijl.