Tour of Flanders 2021 [FULL RACE] (ladies)

April 4, 2021

Tour of Flanders 2021 WE – Oudenaarde – Oudenaarde : 152 km

The women’s peloton has been preparing for the Tour of Flanders all spring and will take the start line on Sunday in Oudenaarde for the biggest one-day race on the Women’s WorldTour. This month has seen some of the best racing to date through the opening four rounds of the top-tier series – Strade Bianche won by Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx), Trofeo Alfredo Binda won by Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), Classic Brugge-De Panne won by Grace Brown (Team BikeExchange) and Gent-Wevelgem won by Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma).

Ten years after her first victory, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) has won her second Tour of Flanders. The European champion attacked from a small group of favourites on the final climb with 14km to go, before extending her gap from seven seconds at the top of the Paterberg to 25 seconds at the finish.

From the chase group, Lisa Brennauer (Ceratizit-WNT) beat Grace Brown (Team BikeExchange) in the sprint for second place.

“I had been hoping for this for ten years after my 2011 victory, and now it all fell into place. I am very proud, especially for my new team Movistar, the girls worked very hard for me, I was the number-one leader and could finish it off like this … I think we are going to celebrate big tonight,” said a happy Van Vleuten after the race.

“I tried to attack on the Kanarieberg, but there was a headwind, so I stopped again. But it prompted a reaction from the others, making it a good race, and that was to my advantage”, she continued. “I knew that there was nothing after the Paterberg, and I wanted to get to the top first. I had some doubts on the Kwaremont if I should counterattack after Anna’s [van der Breggen. ed.] move, but I thought, wait, wait, it is not on our team to take the initiative. SD Worx was in the group with several riders, and I could profit from that.”

Reliving the final 13 kilometers, Van Vleuten said: “I was so knackered. I really went all out. Eight seconds at the top was not much, I knew I needed more, to get out of sight, because of the long finishing straight.”

How it unfolded

Starting and finishing in Oudenaarde, the 152.4-kilometre race included 13 hellingen, seven of which were cobbled, plus five flatter cobblestone sections.

There were several breakaways in the first half of the race, but they were never more than 50 seconds ahead, and the last one was reeled in after the second climb of the day, the Edelareberg, 63km into the race.

Over the next hellingen, Team SD Worx, Team Jumbo-Visma, Movistar Team, Canyon-SRAM, Alé BTC Ljubljana, and Liv Racing controlled the peloton that became smaller and smaller through attrition, but there were no real attacks until the Berg ten Houte where a move by Leah Thomas (Movistar Team) was neutralised quickly.

On the Kanarieberg, 44km from the finish, Van Vleuten put in a short-lived acceleration. “I tried to attack on the Kanarieberg, but there was a headwind, so I stopped again. But it prompted a reaction from the others, making it a good race, and that was to my advantage,” she explained after the race.

It was then Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo) who attacked after the climb and quickly got a gap, extending her advantage over a peloton of about 40 riders to half a minute on the Kruisberg. Team DSM’s attempts to launch a chase with Floortje Mackaij and Liane Lippert were shut down, but Soraya Paladin broke away on the short flat on the Kruisberg/Hotond combination.

Moves by Amy Pieters (Team SD Worx) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) on the Hotond came to nothing, leaving Cordon-Ragot and Paladin ahead of the peloton. They were eventually caught just before the Oude Kwaremont, starting at 18km to go.

World champion Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx) pushed the pace on the long, cobbled climb, followed only by Brown, Van Vleuten, Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), Brennauer, Uttrup Ludwig, Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), and Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx).

Brown accelerated from this group on the way towards the final climb, and Van Vleuten bridged the small gap on her own. The two were reeled in at the bottom of the Paterberg where Van Vleuten took the lead and went all-in, dropping the rest of the group and cresting the top with an eight-second gap.

From there on, she extended her lead on the way to the finish in Oudenaarde, helped by a lack of cooperation in the group behind where riders were either wary of investing energy to bring their rivals back into the race or just unable to push any harder after a long race.

Finishing in fourth place, Longo Borghini took back the lead in the UCI Women’s WorldTour. Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team) defended her lead in the Women’s WorldTour youth ranking.

Results :
1 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women 4:01:11
2 Lisa Brennauer (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:00:26
3 Grace Brown (Aus) Team BikeExchange
4 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
5 Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx
6 Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
7 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:28
8 Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx 0:00:35
9 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:00:51
10 Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:00:55
11 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women 0:00:57
12 Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:01:00
13 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Liv Racing
14 Amy Pieters (Ned) Team SD Worx
15 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
16 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
17 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM
18 Elizabeth Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo
19 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Team SD Worx
20 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:01:03
21 Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:04
22 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing 0:02:11
23 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM Racing
24 Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
25 Mischa Bredewold (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
26 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM
27 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
28 Amanda Spratt (Aus) Team BikeExchange
29 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
30 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange 0:04:08
31 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
32 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:05:22
33 Kathrin Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini-Van Eyck-Proximus Continental Team
34 Franziska Koch (Ger) Team DSM
35 Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar Team Women
36 Maaike Boogaard (Ned) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
37 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
38 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing
39 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
40 Julie Leth (Den) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
41 Thalita De Jong (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
42 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
43 Maike Van der Duin (Ned) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
44 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
45 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
46 Valerie Demey (Bel) Liv Racing
47 Katia Ragusa (Ita) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
48 Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Lotto Soudal Ladies
49 Jesse Vandenbulcke (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
50 Spela Kern (Slo) Massi Tactic Women Team
51 Lisa Klein (Ger) Canyon-SRAM Racing
52 Romy Kasper (Ger) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
53 Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Ciclismo Mundial
54 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
55 Anne Dorthe Ysland (Nor) Hitec Products
56 Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
57 Maëlle Grossetete (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
58 Mariia Novolodskaia (Rus) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
59 Marta Lach (Pol) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
60 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM
61 Sarah Gigante (Aus) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
62 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team SD Worx
63 Emilia Fahlin (Swe) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
64 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
65 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
66 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Liv Racing 0:05:28
67 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
68 Lauren Stephens (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 0:08:30
69 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:08:39
70 Sara Penton (Swe) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
71 Vita Heine (Nor) Massi Tactic Women Team
72 Abby-Mae Parkinson (GBr) Lotto Soudal Ladies
73 Marit Raaijmakers (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:08:42
74 Kathrin Hammes (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
75 Kelly Van Den Steen (Bel) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:08:47
76 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
77 Moniek Tenniglo (Ned) Team BikeExchange
78 Jolien D’Hoore (Bel) Team SD Worx
79 Laura Tomasi (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
80 Sanne Cant (Bel) Ciclismo Mundial
81 Jelena Eric (Srb) Movistar Team Women
82 Teniel Campbell (TTo) Team BikeExchange
83 Ann-Sophie Duyck (Bel) Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team 0:09:58
84 Lieke Nooijen (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:09:59
85 Maria Van ‘T Geloof (Ned) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
86 Céline van Houtum (Ned) Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team
87 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
88 Lizbeth Yareli Salazar Vazquez (Mex) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
89 Kylie Waterreus (Ned) Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team
90 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
91 Marijke De Smedt (Bel) Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team
92 Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
93 Fien Delbaere (Bel) Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team
94 Maaike Coljé (Ned) Massi Tactic Women Team
95 Natalie van Gogh (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
96 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Hitec Products
97 Agua Marina Espinola Salinas (Par) Massi Tactic Women Team
98 Inga Cesuliene (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
99 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM
100 Aniek van Alphen (Ned) Ciclismo Mundial
101 Mireia Benito Pellicer (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team
102 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana 0:10:03
103 Manon Bakker (Ned) Ciclismo Mundial
104 Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Ned) Ciclismo Mundial
105 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:10:05
106 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
107 Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team 0:10:03
108 Lone Meertens (Bel) Lotto Soudal Ladies
109 Fien Van Eynde (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck-Proximus Continental Team 0:11:26
110 Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Team BikeExchange
111 Mireia Trias Jordan (Spa) Massi Tactic Women Team 0:12:52
DSQ Letizia Borghesi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women
DNF Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women
DNF Susanne Andersen (Nor) Team DSM
DNF Lea Lin Teutenberg (Ger) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
DNF Danique Braam (Ned) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Anna Plichta (Pol) Lotto Soudal Ladies
DNF Sofie van Rooijen (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Eva Buurman (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
DNF Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
DNF Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Ciclismo Mundial
DNF Justine Ghekiere (Bel) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
DNF Claudia Jongerius (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
DNF Rozanne Slik (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
DNF Victoire Berteau (Fra) Doltcini-Van Eyck-Proximus Continental Team
DNF Christina Schweinberger (Aut) Doltcini-Van Eyck-Proximus Continental Team
DNF Nicole Steigenga (Ned) Doltcini-Van Eyck-Proximus Continental Team
DNF Amber Aernouts (Bel) Doltcini-Van Eyck-Proximus Continental Team
DNF Rosalie van der Wolf (Ned) Multum Accountants Ladies Cycling Team
DNF Olivija Baleisyte (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Giada Borghesi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Gemma Sernissi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Danielle Christmas (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
DNF Elizabeth Bennett (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
DNF Emilie Moberg (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
DNF Caroline Andersson (Swe) Hitec Products
DNF Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Hitec Products
DNF Mieke Kröger (Ger) Hitec Products
DNF Mari Hole Mohr (Nor) Hitec Products
DNF Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Cub) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
DNF Mariia Miliaeva (Rus) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team
DNF Maria Vittoria Sperotto (Ita) A.R. Monex Women’s Pro Cycling Team