Tour of Flanders 2020 [FULL RACE] (ladies)

October 18, 2020

Tour of Flanders 2020 WE – Oudenaarde – Oudenaarde : 135,6 km

The revised Women’s WorldTour calendar has made it as far as the Tour of Flanders, and although cracks are starting to form in the COVID-19 late-season with teams and riders being forced to pull out of races and quarantine in accordance with national health authorities, the peloton will attempt to line-up in Oudenaarde on October 18 for what is widely regarded as the most prestigious one-day race in professional women’s cycling. Event organisers have taken steps to make the race as safe as possible by encouraging spectators to stay at home and watch on television, and banning spectators on the cobbled climbs, as well as from the start and finish areas. They have also shortened the event in order to give teams and riders the opportunity to build in sufficient rest and recover between the events on the revised calendar in October.

Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Boels Dolmans) has won the women’s Tour of Flanders. Attacking on the Oude Kwaremont 19 kilometres from the finish, Van den Broek-Blaak went solo and held off a chasing group to the finish in no small part due to the work of her teammates who disrupted the chase.

Amy Pieters concluded a great day for Boels Dolmans by winning the sprint for second place ahead of Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal).

“I feel very happy, I was waiting the whole season for this moment. I have thought about this race for a long time and now I finally have it,” said van den Broek-Blaak.

“When I was still ahead after the Paterberg, I thought I could win if they started to look at each other behind. I heard on the radio that Anna [van der Breggen] and Amy were in the group behind me and knew they would cover the moves well. I only had to keep riding as hard as possible.”

How it unfolded

Fifteen kilometres into the 135.6km race, a break of seven riders went away and built a gap of up to 3:45 minutes. Two of the escapees lost contact early on, but the remaining five continued to lead the race for a long time. Several times, small chase groups sat in between the front group and the peloton, but none of them lasted long.

In the peloton, it was Boels Dolmans’ world champion Anna van der Breggen who set a hard pace on the Kanarieberg with 45km to go, reducing the size of the group as well as the gap to the break. Five kilometres later, the breakaway was caught on the lower slopes of the Taaienberg. Demi Vollering (Parkhotel Valkenburg) tried to get away but was quickly reeled in by Van der Breggen.

The next move came from Riejanne Markus (CCC-Liv) who was followed by Alena Amialiusik (Canyon-SRAM). Together, the two riders built an advantage of 52 seconds as they started the Kruisberg-Hotond with 30km to go.

Van der Breggen led the peloton on the cobbled Kruisberg, reducing the group further, and Van den Broek-Blaak launched an attack right after the top, into the asphalted Hotond climb. She quickly had Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT) and Van der Breggen in her wheel, and though things came back together, this spelled the end of the breakaway of Markus and Amialiusik.

Van den Broek-Blaak made another attempt to get away, and when she was reeled in, Annemiek van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) put in her trademark attack. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) tried to follow but had to leave a gap over the top of the Hotond, and Van Vleuten quickly got a sizable advantage.

In the descent, Van der Breggen went on the chase alone. When she eventually bridged to Van Vleuten, she refused to take any turns, allowing the following group to close the 15-second gap.

17 riders entered the Oude Kwaremont together, with Brennauer and Van Vleuten in the lead. As the road flattened out near the top, Van den Broek-Blaak accelerated in the saddle to make another attack. Vollering and Brennauer tried to get in her wheel, but just missed the moment, and Van den Broek-Blaak had a five-second advantage as she turned off the climb.

On the way to the Paterberg, eleven riders were left to chase her, two of whom were her teammates. On the Paterberg, Van Vleuten did another acceleration, as did Longo Borghini, but the chase group went over the top of the final climb together, 20 seconds behind Van den Broek-Blaak.

With Van der Breggen and Pieters disrupting the chase behind, Van den Broek-Blaak could extend her advantage to 1:01 minutes at the finish, celebrating her first Tour of Flanders victory in her eleventh participation.

In the group behind, there were attacks from Grace Brown (Mitchelton-Scott), Van Vleuten, Uttrup Ludwig, and Floortje Mackaij (Team Sunweb), but none of them were able to get away, and Pieters won the sprint for second place ahead of Kopecky and Brennauer.

Results :
1 Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 3:29:57
2 Amy Pieters (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:01:01
3 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
4 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
5 Sarah Roy (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
6 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-Sram Racing
7 Demi Vollering (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
8 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women
9 Lauren Stephens (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
10 Marta Cavalli (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
11 Anna Van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
12 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team Sunweb Women
13 Riejanne Markus (Ned) CCC-Liv
14 Grace Brown (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
15 Annemiek Van Vleuten (Ned) Mitchelton-Scott Women
16 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
17 Ellen Van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:04:15
18 Jolien Dhoore (Bel) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
19 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:05:28
20 Amalie Dideriksen (Den) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam 0:05:58
21 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
22 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
23 Julie Leth (Den) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
24 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women
25 Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
26 Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Lotto Soudal Ladies
27 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Canyon-Sram Racing
28 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
29 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
30 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) CCC-Liv
31 Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
32 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Rally Cycling Women
33 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team Sunweb Women
34 Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Parkhotel Valkenburg
35 Nicole Steigenga (Ned) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
36 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-Sram Racing
37 Anouska Koster (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
38 Nancy Van der Burg (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
39 Soraya Paladin (Ita) CCC-Liv
40 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
41 Abby-Mae Parkinson (GBr) Lotto Soudal Ladies
42 Alison Jackson (Can) Team Sunweb Women
43 Diana Klimova (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
44 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) CCC-Liv
45 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb Women
46 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-Sram Racing
47 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo Women
48 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women
49 Lily Williams (USA) Rally Cycling Women 0:06:04
50 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:06:06
51 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team Sunweb Women
52 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
53 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies 0:09:13
54 Vita Heine (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport 0:10:04
55 Iuliia Galimullina (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro 0:10:07
56 Valeriya Kononenko (Ukr) Ciclotel
57 Céline Van Houtum (Ned) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies
58 Aigul Gareeva (Rus) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
59 Sara Van de Vel (Bel) Ciclotel
60 Danique Braam (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
61 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
62 Fien Van Eynde (Bel) Doltcini – Van Eyck- Proximus Continental Team
63 Marit Raaijmakers (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
64 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) CCC-Liv
65 Edwige Pitel (Fra) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
66 Maëlle Grossetete (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
67 Christine Majerus (Lux) Boels Dolmans Cyclingteam
68 Christina Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
69 Sarah Rijkes (Aut) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
70 Emily Newsom (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
71 Emma White (USA) Rally Cycling Women
72 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
73 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
74 Laura Asencio (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
75 Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women
76 Emilia Fahlin (Swe) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
77 Heidi Franz (USA) Rally Cycling Women
78 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-Sram Racing
79 Kylie Waterreus (Ned) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies 0:10:57
DNF Sharlotte Lucas (NZl) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-Sram Racing
DNF Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo Women
DNF Sara Poidevin (Can) Rally Cycling Women
DNF Evy Kuijpers (Ned) CCC-Liv
DNF Leah Dixon (GBr) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Alba Teruel Ribes (Spa) Movistar Team Women
DNF Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women
DNF Franziska Koch (Ger) Team Sunweb Women
DNF Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
DNF Hanna Johansson (Swe) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies
DNF Lara Defour (Bel) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies
DNF Anna Badegruber (Aut) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies
DNF Marieke Van Witzenburg (Ned) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
DNF Julie Stockman (Bel) Multum Accountants-LSK Ladies
DNF Kathrin Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
DNF Mieke Docx (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
DNF Alice Sharpe (Irl) Ciclotel
DNF Olha Kulynych (Ukr) Ciclotel
DNF Imogen Cotter (Irl) Ciclotel
DNF Pernille Larsen Feldmann (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
DNF Gracie Elvin (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women
DNF Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
DNF Mieke Kröger (Ger) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
DNF Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo Women
DNF Noemi Rüegg (Swi) Cogeas Mettler Look Pro
DNF Lea Lin Teutenberg (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro
DNF Silje Mathisen (Nor) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
DNF Greta Richioud (Fra) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
DNF Lucy Van der Haar (GBr) Hitec Products-Birk Sport
DNF Jesse Vandenbulcke (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Romy Kasper (Ger) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Belen Lopez Morales (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
DNF Isabel Martin Martin (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
DNF Patricia Ortega Ruiz (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
DNF Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin (Can) Massi Tactic Women Team
DNF Mireia Trias Jordan (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
DNF Jessica Allen (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott Women