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As it happened: Longo-Borghini and Lidl-Trek take Flanders as SD Worx-Protime off podium

By Tim Bonville-Ginn
last updated

Vos seeks to deny Kopecky's hat-trick on 163km route from Oudenaarde to Oudenaarde

Route of the 2024 Tour of Flanders Women

(Image credit: Flanders Classics)

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Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Tour of Flanders Women 2024!

While the men's race is hogging the TV screens, the women's race is not far off starting the neutral zone. Just over half an hour until KM0 and the racing getting underway. 

This Classics season has gone back in time a little bit, with SD Worx-Protime not absolutely dominating thanks to a rejuvenated Marianne Vos of Visma-Lease a Bike as well as various others talents such as Lidl-Trek's Shirin van Anrooij and Fenix-Deceuninck's Puck Pieterse. 

And, of course, if you're away from your TV screens... Don't forget that the men's race is very much underway and we have live updates. Just click the link below to follow along with that as well...

Sign on has been made as we're all ready to go. 

Some reading for you while we wait for the start of the race. Click the links below to have a read about Lidl'Trek's winning possibilities as well as all the contenders...

It's a white shorts kind of day for defending champion, Lotte Kopecky. Can she pull off the three wins in a row? 

The riders have started the neutral zone. 7.1km of neutral, to be exact. 

The flag is dropped and the race begins! 

160km to go

Already, the riders are only 5km away from the first cobbles of the day. The flat but rather long Lange Munte. 

Four riders had a very small gap on the peloton but they were swiftly dragged back.

Onto the Lange Munte. The speed is really up as well as these first 9km see an average speed of 43kph. 

Crash! 10 riders down. Waiting for confirmation of who they are. It has also caused a major split in the bunch. 

150km to go

Abandons after the crash!

Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) was in that crash. As was US champion, Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM) and Romy Kasper (Human Powered Health).

Five riders are clear in a new breakaway with plenty of counter moves. Gap of around +15" between them and the peloton. 

Break: 

140km to go

The break is formed with Camilla Rånes and Josie Nelson not far off the back. 

130km to go

Crash by Lotto-DSTNY's Quinty van de Guchte. 

If you didn't know, EF Education-Cannondale are wearing a special black and white kit for the cobbled Monuments. Here is Noemi Rüegg... 

120km to go

The gap is up to +3'19" between the break and the peloton. Nelson and Rånes still +1'30" down on the leaders, they're just not closing. 

110km to go

Just 15km to go until the first climb of the day, the Wolvenberg. The pace is really on. 

Nelson of Coop-Repsol sat up and is back in the peloton. Rånes is still out there, though, as she continues her chase of the five leaders. 

The race is really kicking off in the men''s race, by the way. If you don't want to miss the action there either, make sure you click the link below...

100km to go

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) coping nicely in the rain. The cyclocross and mountain bike specialist is in her element. 

Crash!

DSM-Firmenich-PostNL, SD Worx-Protime, Human Powered Health and AG Insurance-Soudal lead the peloton as the get closer to the Wolvenberg. +2'36" up to the break now. 

90km to go

Kerkgate and Jagerij are up next for the riders with those cobbles shortly followed by the Molenberg. 

Attack

Koster (Uno-X Mobility) is caught b the DSM-Firmenich-PostNL as the Molenberg approaches. 

Crash!

Onto the Molenberg. 500m with a maximum kick of over 10%. 

80km to go

Attack by Arzuffi (Ceratizit-WNT) but Bredewold (SD Wor-Protime) is not letting the former Italian cyclocross champion get away. Just +55" up to the breakaway, now. 

Mieke Docx (Lotto-DSTNY) about to be caught by the peloton as she was dropped on the Molenberg. 

Crash!

70km to go

Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) upping the pace in the peloton now. The Dutch national champion is trying to split the race up on the Berendries. 

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) missing a lot of bottles today in the wet and she is a long way down the peloton as her teammate leads the bunch. No panic yet, though. 

Attack

Former winner, Coryn Labecki (EF Education-Cannondale) has been distanced over the Berendries. 

New attacker...

Front wheel puncture for Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco). She has two teammates around her but she is too small to take one of their bikes. 

Bike change for Paternoster (Liv-Alula-Jayco). 66km to go, just a minute up to the break now. 

On the Valkenberg now as Arzuffi (Ceratizit-WNT) is halfway across the gap to the break as Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) is almost back on the peloton. Gear issues for Bertizzolo (UAE Team ADQ).

Attack

60km to go

Attack

Onto the Kapelleberg now. 

Just 7km before the get to the Koppenberg. This is going to be hell on earth. Can anyone actually ride over it? All but three riders had to walk in the men's race.  

50km to go

Visma-Lease a Bike hit the front of the peloton for Marianne Vos and Fem van Empel with a gap of +33" up to Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Alison Jackson of EF Education-Cannondale leading her teammates on the front of the peloton as all but Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) have been caught now. She has just +12" gap now. 

Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) is now caught. The are on the back roads just before the hell of the Koppenberg. 

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) lead onto the cobbles as Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) takes over with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime).

Crash!

Georgi (DSM_Firmenich-PostNL), Van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) are with Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) out the back now. 

Leaders:

40km to go

On the Mariaborrestraat now. 

The Steenbeekdries and the Stationsberg up next too, all basically the same sector as Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) looks to be struggling in the chase group. 

Onto the Taaienberg now. Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) leads onto it as the rain is getting much much worse. 

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) is getting dropped by the chase group. 

The combo of the Oude Kruisberg and the Hotond are coming up next in just under 8km... 36km to go, just +26" gap between the leaders and the chase led by Vollering (SD Worx-Protime).

30km to go

Attack on the Oude Kruisberg

Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and Van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) drop Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), Georgi (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) and Van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike).

The leaders are looking around too much as Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) is closing in rapidly. 

30km to go

Attack

Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) and Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) make it back on. 

Attack

20km to go

Attack

Onto the Oude Kwaremont. Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), Van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Georgi (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) make it back to the main favourites group. 

Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) is working on the front for Vollering and Wiebes, understandably as she doesn't have the legs today at all.

Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) couldn't catch Van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) in the end as she has some gear issues. Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) is closing in as well. 

The rain is the heaviest it has been all day as Van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike), Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) and Georgi (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) all dropped. 

Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) is riding very well now for Vollering as they build towards the final climb, the Paterberg. 

Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) rides onto the Paterberg. 

Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) has a small gap on the Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) led group. 

Longo-Borghini (Lidl-Trek) alongside Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) are clear of the group as Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and the rest are all struggling. 

Van Anrooj (Lidl-Trek) leads over the top of the Paterberg. It is all flat/downhill from here. 

10km to go

Everyone is now working in the chase group but the gap increases to over 20" now with 7km to go. 

5km to go

4km to go for Longo-Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) and Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) with a gap of +30" now. 

3km to go and the ticker says the gap has plummeted to +18". I'm not sure if that is correct or not. 

2km to go and I believe the gap is correct. +21" gap for the leading trio. 

Flamme rouge

Van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) tried to surprise Niewiadoma (Lidl-Trek) but she didn't get awa and she is now leading it out with 500 metres to go. 

Elisa Longo-Borghini wins the Tour of Flanders 2024! 

Lidl-Trek take first and third on the day! Longo-Borghini takes her second Tour of Flanders title. 

Top 10:

What an incredible victory for Elisa Longo-Borghini and Lidl-Trek. An Italian masterpiece. 

That was quite the race, wasn't it? Why not have a read of our race report by clicking the link below...

That brings our coverage of the women's Tour of Flanders to a close for 2024. 

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