Under harsh conditions, three riders chose to run away with 95 kilometers to go. The three escapees managed to create a lead of more than four minutes but were caught by the depleted peloton before the final climb of the Mur of Huy. Riejanne Markus managed to escape five kilometers before the finish, but she was caught on the flanks of the Belgian prowler. Van Empel then cleverly climbed to eighth place in the final kilometer.

"It was an intense day today, but the cooperation was very good," Markus reflected afterward. "Everyone suffered tremendously today, but fortunately we rode well with the team. We are very happy with that. The plan was to wait with Fem until the last climb of the Mur of Huy and I was able to attack a bit more, and that went well. I hope to continue this form to Liège - Bastogne - Liège, in any case, I am looking forward to it.”

Van Empel is also pleased with today's team performance. "The conditions were bad, but fortunately I was well-prepared for this weather. We communicated well among ourselves and I think we can be happy as a team. It's getting a little better every time and that's the most important thing.”

"It was a big cold affair for the riders," explained team director Rutger Tijssen. "You can see that the riders who can adapt best to the conditions do well, and we did very well altogether as a team. The cooperation in the team is going very great and the riders are working hard on that. I am satisfied with the result, but even more satisfied with the process.”

Next Sunday will be the final spring classic for Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women with Liege - Bastogne - Liege. "I'm looking very positive towards next Sunday. We are putting up a very strong period with a nice course every time. Sunday we will be at the start again with a strong group, so come on," Tijssen concluded his story.