Cant wins in Middelkerke, seals Superprestige overall victory
Maud Kaptheijns is second in final round
Sanne Cant (Iko-Beobank) won the final round of the Superprestige Ladies Trophy in Middelkerke, sealing her overall victory in the competition. Maud Kaptheijns (Crelan-Charles), her main rival for the title, finished in second place 12 seconds later. Laura Verdonschot (Marlux-Bingoal) won the sprint for third place, 48 seconds down.
Going into the race, Cant (92) led Kaptheijns (91) by just one point in the rankings, and a win for either woman would seal the overall title. Kaptheijns had started out strong, winning the first four rounds of the Superprestige, while Cant had won the previous two rounds.
The duo had the best start of the field, setting the tone for the race, set on a mud and sand course beyond the North Sea sand dunes.
It didn’t take long for the groups to sort themselves, with Kaptheijns and Cant in the lead. A handful of seconds further back Verdonschot, Ellen Van Loy (Telenet-Fidea Lions), Loes Sels (Crelan-Charles) and Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Corendon-Circus) formed an elite chase group.
Kaptheijns looked potentially the strongest in the early stages, riding through the toughest sand sections where oth-ers, including Cant, were forced to run. At the midway point of the race, with the chasers 30 second back, it was time for moves to be made up front.
On lap three, Cant powered away Kaptheijns on the twisting early section, but couldn’t hold the gap, leading to a back-and-forth battle on that lap and the penultimate lap four. At that point Cant looked to be in control, with Kaptheijns unable to get any real advantage.
The beginning of lap five saw the decisive move. On the same section as she had two laps earlier, Cant got a gap, and this time it was a race-deciding one. The battle for third place had seen the chasers reduced to Del Carmen Al-varado, Sels and 21-year-old Verdonschot, with the latter prevailing in a sprint to the line.
The main glory - and her third Superprestige title - went to Cant though, capping
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Sanne Cant (Bel) | 0:40:23 |
2 | Maud Kaptheijns (Ned) Crelan - Charles | 0:00:12 |
3 | Laura Verdonschot (Bel) Marlux - Bingoal | 0:00:48 |
4 | Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Ned) Corendon - Circus | 0:00:50 |
5 | Loes Sels (Bel) Crelan - Charles | 0:00:52 |
6 | Kim Van De Steene (Bel) Tarteletto - Isorex | 0:01:08 |
7 | Ellen Van Loy (Bel) Telenet Fidea Lions | 0:01:41 |
8 | Joyce Vanderbeken (Bel) | 0:01:47 |
9 | Jolien Verschueren (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen - Vastgoedservice | 0:01:55 |
10 | Nikki Brammeier (GBr) | 0:02:03 |
11 | Annemarie Worst (Ned) Era-Circus | 0:02:19 |
12 | Karen Verhestraeten (Bel) | 0:02:47 |
13 | Elle Anderson (USA) | 0:02:53 |
14 | Manon Bakker (Ned) | 0:02:57 |
15 | Denise Betsema (Ned) | 0:03:10 |
16 | Pauline Delhaye (Fra) | 0:03:31 |
17 | Rebecca Fahringer (USA) | 0:04:28 |
18 | Veerle Goossens (Ned) | 0:05:14 |
19 | Jinse Peeters (Bel) Pauwels Sauzen - Vastgoedservice | 0:05:18 |
20 | Suzanne Verhoeven (Bel) | 0:05:46 |
21 | Marthe Truyen (Bel) | 0:06:07 |
22 | Irene Gerritsen (Ned) | 0:06:44 |
23 | Kim Van De Putte (Bel) | 0:06:55 |
24 | Shana Maes (Bel) | 0:07:54 |
25 | Anja Nobus (Bel) | 0:07:59 |
26 | Lise Van Wunsel (Bel) | 0:09:26 |
27 | Meg De Bruyne (Bel) | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Corey Coogan Cisek (USA) | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Alicia Franck (Bel) Marlux - Bingoal | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Tine Rombouts (Bel) | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Christine Vardaros (USA) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Jo Blanchaert (Bel) | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Steylaerts - Betfirst | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Fleur Nagengast (Ned) Telenet Fidea Lions | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jana Dobbelaere (Bel) | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Margriet Kloppenburg (Den) | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.
As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix
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