Ellen Van Dijk again wins solo in Waregem

The Dutchwoman Ellen van Dijk (Trek-Segafredo) has won Dwars door Vlaanderen for the second time in a row. 16 kilometres from the finish line in Waregem, she succeeded in leaving an elite group behind her. She won the solo, in front of Marta Bastianelli (Team Virtu Cycling) and Lucinda Brand (Team Sunweb).

Just after the start in Tielt, the pack was shaken by a fall. The race was neutralised for a little while. The pack then remained together for quite a long time. After a few attack attempts, a trio did manage to clear it: Saartje Vandenbroucke, Kseniia Dobrynina and Nathalie Bex. Youngster Chiara Consonni went on the counter-attack, but none of the four riders were able to complete their attack successfully.

Elite group

After the passage on the Knokteberg, a new leading group of about ten racers emerged. Among them were only big names such as van Dijk, van Vleuten, Brand, Longo Borghini and Bastianelli. In the background, a strong Elisa Balsamo tried to join them, but the racers had sprinted away from the pack and the race was on. Lucinda Brand attempted to be the first to clear this elite group, but her attack failed not much later.

At 16 kilometres from the finish, Ellen van Dijk found her opportunity and broke free of her fellow escapees. Nobody managed to keep up with her after that and the Dutchwoman won a victory solo in Waregem. Behind her there was attack after attack, but in the end it all hinged on a sprint. Marta Bastianelli showed herself to be the fastest of the chasing group, while Lucinda Brand earned third place on the podium.