In the twelfth edition of Strade Bianche Donne, the race opened up early on. On the first gravel sectors, the peloton split several times and the riders of the yellow-and-black team showed themselves attentive at the front. Still, it was a matter of waiting for the finale, where the real differences were made.

The finale began on the longest sector of the day, San Martino in Grania. On the rising gravel roads, Femke de Vries, Vos and Ferrand-Prévot managed to climb with the best riders, allowing them to start the final gravel sectors in an elite group of twenty riders.

With 40 kilometres to go, Ferrand-Prévot suffered mechanical problems, which forced her out of the lead group, where Vos was still present. The 38-year-old Dutch rider showed her strength in the finale, which eventually earned her seventh place.

“It was a very special race,” Vos reflected afterwards. “I gave everything in the finale, but I could already feel there wasn’t much left in the legs. You hope you can recover a little in the run-up to the final kilometre, but the climb to Piazza del Campo never lies. It was certainly a nice race to return to the peloton.”

While Vos played a prominent role in the finale, Ferrand-Prévot unfortunately could not do the same. “I had a mechanical problem at a very bad moment, which meant I had to change bikes. I tried to come back afterwards, but when we followed the wrong road, our chances were gone. I felt good and would have liked to attack in the finale, but unfortunately I couldn’t find out how far I could have gone.”