The race was broken open early on. After that, everyone looked at one another, and the situation remained unchanged until the final. Markus had to swap bikes at this point, and Amber Kraak brought her back just in time. The final climb of the Cauberg proved decisive. Markus rode up with the best, but on a challenging section, she was unable to counter an attack from Vollering. In the last kilometre, the 28-year-old Dutch rider attacked to secure second place but to no avail.

“I am proud and disappointed at the same time”, Markus said. “It was a fantastic opportunity. I had to change bikes because I had some problems with my equipment. Getting back took quite a bit of energy, especially given the cold. I gave it my all in the final, but it wasn’t enough today. After the Cauberg, I looked behind me, only to see Vollering approaching. She was just too fast.”

Vos said the Cauberg was too demanding for her this time. “We had to maintain our position in the race as a team. That went very well. Anna Henderson did a great lead-out for Riejanne and me to the Cauberg, but my legs quickly became weary. From then on, I didn’t catch much of what was happening in the race.”