De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne is the final of the six Spring Classics that are organised by Flanders Classics. It follows Amstel Gold Race and serves as a transition race between the cobbled Classics and the Ardennes Classics, leading to La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
The women's race is relatively new with its first edition in 2016 as Pajot Hills Classic, which was won by Marianne Vos. By 2018 it was aligned with the men’s Brabantse Pijl and then in 2022 shifted to the same course, ending in Overijse rather than Goik. Other former champions include Annette Edmondson, Marta Bastianelli, Sofie De Vuyst and Grace Brown. The routes of both races take in the hills of the Flemish Brabant south of Leuven and east of Brussels, including a finishing lap packed with hills in and around Overijse.
Demi Vollering (SD Worx) won the 2022 De Brabantse Pijl Dames with a dominant solo victory in the rain, after a second-place finish in 2021. She attacked with Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon-SRAM) at 30km to go and then as their gap grew on the hilly final circuit, Vollering took off alone and time trialled to the finish. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) attacked from the chase group and won the sprint for second place ahead of Liane Lippert (Team DSM), while Rooijakkers trailed in sixth.
2023 Brabantse Pijl Dames route
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De Brabantse Pijl Women 2023 route and profile(Image credit: Flanders Classics)
The one-day race begins at Markt in Lennik and via Beersel climbs the Sollenberg and the Bruineput. There are a total of 24 hills across 141.2 km in 2023. After a series of ascents across Hertstraat, Moskesstraat, Holstheide and S-bocht, the peloton will begin the three laps of the finish circuit with those same hills, plus the Hagaard.
The finish line comes on Brusselsesteenweg in Overijse after the final ascent of the S-Bocht Overijse (1,300 metres, 4.2% average/5.7% max), which is the same as last year.
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