Chantal van den Broek-Blaak wins Le Samyn des Dames

Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak (Boels Dolmans) stormed to victory at Le Samyn des Dames on Wednesday after a long solo break. The win marked her third win in the race since 2015.

While Van den Broek-Blaak dominated, spending over 50 kilometres on her own out front, the race for second was a far tenser affair with a strong five-rider group matching each other with wave after wave of attacks until the closing stages.

However, they could not be separated before the slightly uphill finish before Van den Broek-Blaak's teammate Christine Majerus won the sprint to make it a 1-2 for the Dutch team. Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal) rounded out the podium.

"This is definitely a race that suits me, yes," said Van den Broek-Blaak after the finish. "It was like a time trial today, it was pretty long. We wanted to play the game as a team, and to have as many numbers as possible in the front, and then try to attack.

"I was gone, alone and I thought that I had to try and continue. If they came from behind I would still have my teammates but they didn’t come. We just wanted to race and it didn’t matter for us who was winning.

"I race next weekend at Strade and then the weekend after at Drenthe. I have one win now so there’s less pressure and I’d like to enjoy this."

How it unfolded

After the events of the opening weekend – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad won by world champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) and Omloop van het Hagalend won by Lorena Wiebes (Parkhotel Valkenburg) – the mid-week Le Samyn des Dames brought a slightly shorter mid-week race for the women’s peloton.

It is one of the shorter of all the spring one-day races at 94.9km but with punchy cobbled sections through the Henegouwen region; Vert Pignon, La Roquette, Ch de Wiheries, Core de Nonettes and at Rue Belle Vue.

There were also three climbs at Grand Place Quaregnon (26.6km), Cote de Calvaire (35.5km), and at Cote de la Roquette (53.6km).  

The field completed one large loop followed by three finish circuits that are 25km each with an intermediate sprint on the first two passages through the finish line in Dour.

Several of the top-level WorldTeams opted to skip the race as they prepare for next weekend’s second round of the Women’s WorldTour at Strade Bianche, but there were two WorldTeams on the start line for Le Samym with Movistar and Trek-Segafredo.

It was number one ranked team in the world, Continental squad, Boels Dolmans that lined-up with defending champion Van de Bos and two-time race winner Van den Broek-Blaak (2015-16) as the team to beat.

The strong winds caused splits in the field early on and a group of 14 riders escaped that included three Boels Dolmans; Van den Broek-Blaak, Van den Bos and Christine Majerus.

With 57km to go, after Cote de la Roquette, Van den Broek-Blaak attacked the breakaway and pushed her solo lead on each of the finishing circuits.

A five-rider chase group formed with Van Dijk, Kopecky, Biannic joined by Van den Broek-Blaak’s teammates Majerus and Van den Bos.

Van den Broek-Blaak powered to the finish line with the victory with enough time to turn around and watch her teammate Majerus win the chase-group sprint for second place.

Results

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Full results
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Chantal van den Broek-blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 2:35:01
2Christine Majerus (Lux) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:01:50
3Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
4Jip van den Bos (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
5Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Trek - Segafredo
6Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:01:56
7Lonneke Uneken (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:03:43
8Maria Apolonia van 't Geloof (Ned) Drops
9Claire Faber (Lux) ILLI Bikes
10Alba Teruel Ribes (Spa) Movistar Team Women
11Jelena Erić (Srb) Movistar Team Women
12Lucie Jounier (Fra) Team Arkea
13Elizabeth Bennett (GBr) Drops
14Marieke van Witzenburg (Ned) Doltcini - Van Eyck Sport uci Women Cycling
15Špela Kern (Slo) Lviv Cycling Team
16Catalina Anais Soto Campos (Chi) WCC Team
17Daniela Reis (Por) Ciclotel
18Sara Penton (Swe) Drops
19Danique Braam (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
20Natalie van Gogh (Ned) Chevalmeire Cycling Team
21Kylie Waterreus (Ned) Multum Accountants - LSK Ladies Cycling Team
22Silke Smulders (Ned) NXTG Racing
23Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank
24Birgitte Ravndal (Nor) Keukens Redant
25Nicole Steigenga (Ned) Doltcini - Van Eyck Sport uci Women Cycling
26Eva Buurman (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
27Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
28Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women
29Magdeleine Vallieres Mill (Can) WCC Team
30Christina Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini - Van Eyck Sport uci Women Cycling
31Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) De Sprinters Malderen 0:03:52
32Gilke Croket (Bel) ILLI Bikes
33Karol-Ann Canuel (Can) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
34Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women
35Jenelle Crooks (NZl) Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank
36Olha Kulynych (Ukr) Ciclotel
37Mae Lang (Est) Andy Schleck Cycles - Immo Losch
38Typhaine Laurance (Fra) Team Arkea
39Vita Heine (Nor) Hitec Products - Birk Sport
40Barbara Fonseca (Fra) St Michel - Auber 93
41Emilie Moberg (Nor) Drops
42Antonia Gröndahl (Fin) Isorex NoAqua Ladies
43Kathrin Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini - Van Eyck Sport uci Women Cycling 0:03:57
44Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek - Segafredo
45Lotta Pauliina Henttala (Fin) Trek - Segafredo
46Anastasiya Kolesava (Blr) WCC Team 0:04:03
47Sophie Enever (GBr) Torelli - Assure 0:05:03
48Kim De Baat (Bel) Ciclotel 0:06:53
49Viktoriia Bondar (Ukr) Lviv Cycling Team 0:07:17
50Caitlin Peters (GBr) Torelli - Assure 0:07:52
51Holly Breck (USA) Torelli - Assure
52Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank
53Akvile Gedraitytė (Ltu) WCC Team
54Ellen Mcdermott (Irl) Isorex NoAqua Ladies
55Emily Nelson (GBr) Isorex NoAqua Ladies
56Tereza Medvedova (Svk) WCC Team
57Julia Borgström (Swe) NXTG Racing
58Alana Castrique (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
59Gladys Verhulst (Fra) Team Arkea
60Emily Wadsworth (GBr) NXTG Racing
61Pauline Allin (Fra) Team Arkea
62Sarah Gigante (Aus) Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank
63Emily Newsom (USA) Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank
64Amalie Lutro (Nor) Hitec Products - Birk Sport
65Estefania Pilz (Arg) Lviv Cycling Team
66Ingrid Lorvik (Nor) Hitec Products - Birk Sport
67Mieke Docx (Bel) Doltcini - Van Eyck Sport uci Women Cycling
68Fiona Turnbull (GBr) Lviv Cycling Team 0:08:00
69Kerry Jonker (RSA) Isorex NoAqua Ladies 0:08:01
70Natalie Irene Midtsveen (Nor) Hitec Products - Birk Sport
71Veronika Jandová (Cze) WCC Team
72Bryony Van Velzen (Ned) Ciclotel
73Danielle Khan (GBr) ILLI Bikes
74Mia Griffin (Irl) ILLI Bikes
75Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
76Femke Geeris (Ned) Waasland Security - Wase Zon
77Abigail Van Twisk (GBr) Trek - Segafredo
78Elynor Backstedt (GBr) Trek - Segafredo
79Julie Van de Velde (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
80Laura Vainionpää (Fin) S Bikes AGU
81Sara Van de Vel (Bel) Ciclotel 0:08:06
82Oceane Tessier (Fra) St Michel - Auber 93
83Ditte Lenseclaes (Bel) ILLI Bikes
84Fabienne Buri (Swi) Andy Schleck Cycles - Immo Losch
85Eyeru Tesfoam Gebru (Eth) WCC Team
86Claudia Jongerius (Ned) De Sprinters Malderen
87Saartje Vandenbroucke (Bel) S Bikes AGU
88Fien Delbaere (Bel) Multum Accountants - LSK Ladies Cycling Team 0:08:25
89Savannah Morgan (GBr) Isorex NoAqua Ladies
90Febe Schokkaert (Bel) Chevalmeire Cycling Team 0:08:33
91Désirée Ehrler (Swi) Multum Accountants - LSK Ladies Cycling Team 0:08:36
92Margot Pompanon (Fra) St Michel - Auber 93 0:08:45
93Yuliia Biriukova (Ukr) Lviv Cycling Team 0:08:55
94Amber Aernouts (Bel) Multum Accountants - LSK Ladies Cycling Team 0:09:53
95Fernanda Yapura (Arg) St Michel - Auber 93
96Nicole Hanselmann (Swi) Doltcini - Van Eyck Sport uci Women Cycling 0:10:42
97Evelien Debboudt (Bel) Keukens Redant 0:13:18
DNFLauren Murphy (GBr) Andy Schleck Cycles - Immo Losch
DNFSkylar Schneider (USA) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
DNFJulie Debock (Bel) De Sprinters Malderen
DNFMischa Bredewold (Ned) NXTG Racing
DNFTrixi Worrack (Ger) Trek - Segafredo
DNFHana Heřmanovská (Cze) Andy Schleck Cycles - Immo Losch
DNFMaroesjka Matthee (RSA) Ciclotel
DNFIlse Grit (Ned) NXTG Racing
DNFTora Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) De Sprinters Malderen
DNFDemmy Druyts (Bel) Chevalmeire Cycling Team
DNFHayley Simmonds (GBr) Ciclotel
DNFCathalijne Hoolwerf (Ned) NXTG Racing
DNFLies De Vleminck (Bel) De Sprinters Malderen
DNFRozemarijn Ammerlaan (Ned) NXTG Racing
DNFRoxane Fournier (Fra) Chevalmeire Cycling Team
DNFPuck Moonen (Ned) Chevalmeire Cycling Team
DNFJustine Vromanne (Bel) Doltcini - Van Eyck Sport uci Women Cycling
DNFMélanie Guedon (Fra) St Michel - Auber 93
DNFAnna Badegruber (Aut) Multum Accountants - LSK Ladies Cycling Team
DNFJosie Shepherd (GBr) Multum Accountants - LSK Ladies Cycling Team
DNFLara Defour (Bel) Multum Accountants - LSK Ladies Cycling Team
DNFLeonie Vanderjeugt (Bel) S Bikes AGU
DNFDemi Van Dijke (Ned) S Bikes AGU
DNFDesiree Liegeois (Ned) S Bikes AGU
DNFLensy Debboudt (Bel) Keukens Redant
DNFLaura Da Cruz (Fra) St Michel - Auber 93
DNFGeorgia Bullard (GBr) Torelli - Assure
DNFFatima Zahra El Hayani (Mar) Team Arkea
DNFAnaïs Morichon (Fra) Team Arkea
DNFLeah Dixon (GBr) Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank
DNFYva Geluk (Ned) Waasland Security - Wase Zon
DNFAlice Andersson (Swe) Waasland Security - Wase Zon
DNFAranka Lisanne Berends (Spa) Waasland Security - Wase Zon
DNFFien De Paepe (Bel) S Bikes AGU
DNFMalin Eriksen (Nor) Keukens Redant
DNFPernille Larsen Feldmann (Nor) Hitec Products - Birk Sport
DNFLynn Marien (Bel) De Sprinters Malderen
DNFMette Egtoft Jensen (Den) ILLI Bikes
DNFSamantha Hargreaves (Can) ILLI Bikes
DNFNicola Juniper (GBr) Isorex NoAqua Ladies
DNFKate Wightman (NZl) Isorex NoAqua Ladies
DNFBarbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women
DNFGaia Tortolina (Ita) Waasland Security - Wase Zon
DNFMia Berg (Lux) Andy Schleck Cycles - Immo Losch
DNFElina Kirsakmene (Lat) Keukens Redant
DNFIda Langørgen (Nor) Keukens Redant
DNFElizabeth Marvelly (GBr) Torelli - Assure
DNFConnie Hayes (GBr) Torelli - Assure
DNFMegan Chard (GBr) Lviv Cycling Team
DNFViktoriia Yaroshenko (Ukr) Lviv Cycling Team
DNFFinja Smekal (Ger) Drops
DNFAmber Lacompte (Bel) Keukens Redant

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