Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) won the women’s Flèche Wallonne with a vicious surge on the final climb Wednesday. The European Champion took the lead early on the Mur de Huy, leading the race from 700 metres to go and continuing to push until she dropped her rivals with 500 metres to go.
Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) launched a late surge but could not catch Vollering, who was a bike length ahead on the finish line to win. Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) finished third.
A two-rider breakaway that had formed after the first ascent of the Mur de Huy was caught on the Côte de Cherave, and the high pace by FDJ United-Suez’s Elise Chabbey split the peloton, leading to a front group of 19 riders starting the finishing climb together. After a lead-out by Chabbey, Vollering took control and never looked back until the last metres when she saw Pieterse coming and pressed on to secure the victory.
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How it unfolded
Malou Eisen (VolkerWessels) was the first rider to break away, 16km into the 148.2-kilometre race. She was quickly joined by Lotte Claes (Fenix-Premier Tech). Soon, Heidi Franz (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93) started a chase group of ten. This group included her teammate India Grangier, Muzic, Justyna Czapla (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Viktória Chladoňová (Visma-Lease a Bike), Ricarda Bauernfeind (Lidl-Trek), Mikayla Harvey (SD Worx-Protime), Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), Daniela Hezinová (Picnic PostNL), and Irati Aranguran…
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