Festival Elsy Jacobs: Marta Lach wins sprint in Garnich after super close photo finish

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SD Worx-Protime rider takes the win ahead of Maria Giulia Confalonieri after pair almost inseparable on the line

NOKERE BELGIUM MARCH 19 Marta Lach of Poland and Team SD Worx Protime celebrates at finish line as race winner during the 6th Danilith Nokere Koerse 2025 Womens Elite a 132km one day race from Deinze to Nokere on March 19 2025 in Nokere Belgium Photo by Rhode Van ElsenGetty Images
Lach took her second win for SD Worx-Protime in Luxembourg (Image credit: Getty Images)
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Poland's Marta Lach (SD Worx-Protime) was awarded the win in an ultra-close photo finish in the Festival Elsy Jacobs à Garnich, beating Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Uno-X Mobility) to the line by millimetres, , while Sarah Van Dam (Ceratizit Pro Cycling) finished third on the day.

"It was close, actually, I won by maybe 2cm, but I won in the end,” Lach said at the finish line. “It was actually a hard race, really punchy, but we did good team tactics and in the end it worked out."

Festival Elsy Jacobs has moved from a ProSeries stage race last held in 2023 to a double one-day race format for 2024 and 2025. This year, the two days of racing began with the 112km hilly route in Garnich on Saturday. 

A reduced field entered the final 30km of the race, but an attack from Matilde Vitillo (Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Continental) forced the peloton to react, and although she was reeled in over the circuit's climb, it forced significant splits among the field.

With just two laps to go the reduced front group inlcuded Lach, Confalonieri and Van Dam along with Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels Pro Cycling Team), Eva van Agt, Margaux Vigié and Rosita Reijnhout (both Visma-Lease a Bike), Noa Jansen (Liv AlUla Jayco Women’s Continental), Natalie Quinn (Team USA), Nadia Quagliotto (Cofidis), Steffi Häberlin (SD Worx-Protime), Tess Moerman (AG Insurance-Soudal U23), Lauren Dickson (Handsling Alba Development), Ségolène Thomas (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93) and Petra Zsanko (Ceratizit Pro Cycling).

SD Worx-Protime teammates Häberlin and Lach opened a small gap on the selection, but it was too dangerous to let them gain time, and they were back together for the last lap.

Attacks continued across the final 10km with five riders splitting off the front to contest the sprint, with Lach taking the day's victory ahead of Confalonieri, Van Dam, and Vanpachtenbeke in fourth and Van Agt in fifth place, four seconds ahead of the chase group sprint won by Jansen. 

“You have to be smart,” Lach said. “We passed the finish line eight times so I knew exactly where is the moment to go and also which line I should take, I was in the front so I just did my line and I was not giving up, I’m the sprinter and I knew it’s up to me to arrive to the finish and I just wanted to win for our team and it worked out.”

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Kirsten Frattini
Kirsten Frattini
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Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.

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