Vos tested positive for the coronavirus a few hours before the race. As a result, last year’s runner-up could not fight for victory in a race she had marked as an important goal. However, an eager Team Jumbo-Visma decided not to hide in the race.

On the many cobbled sections, Romy Kasper and Teuntje Beekhuis, among others, rode well in the front. Coryn Labecki and Kasper suffered punctures. It forced them to chase down the fast-paced peloton. Elisa Longo Borghini won the race. Beekhuis, Kasper and Labecki all finished in the top 25.

“It wasn’t easy today”, Labecki said. “I had three punctures. I felt good before the start, but I had too much bad luck. I wanted to go for the win, but it turned out differently. That’s the way it goes sometimes. I kept fighting for a good result and I think that goes for the whole team.”

Race coach Lieselot Decroix explained the modified race plan. “We wanted to race attractively and tried to be in the breakaways. It was a hectic race. After some riders’ equipment failure, we were a step behind. Because Marianne could not start, we had lost a valuable asset. The riders showed fighting spirit today and kept going for it in the race, but we could not follow at the decisive moment”, Decroix concluded.