Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) rushed from a nine-rider breakaway group and earned the victory in an uphill sprint at Beobank Samyn Ladies.
Marthe Goossens (AG Insurance-Soudal) finished second and Marthe Truyven (Fenix-Premier Tech) went third.
Gillespie moved across to the decisive breakaway group to join teammate Elynor Bäckstedt, and the two worked together to keep the lead bunch intact for a final sprint.
How it unfolded
Many of the women who lined up to compete in the 133.4km Beobank Samyn Ladies undoubtedly could feel some fatigue from Opening Weekend, where Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) won Omloop van het Hageland.
The women’s race, now in a 12th edition, started in Quaregnon and tackled four circuits, totalling 25 cobbled sectors, before finishing in Dour.
There were several early-race crashes in the peloton as the field swept through the narrow and winding roads and teams sent off a flurry of attacks. However, the peloton remained largely intact for the first half of the race.
A breakaway of 10 emerged…
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