The riders of the Dutch cycling team had to get up early on Wednesday morning. The 26th edition of the Belgian cycling classic officially got underway well before nine o’clock. The peloton encountered the steep Mur de Huy three times. Forty kilometres from the finish line, the race really got going. Four riders jumped away, and Van Agt, Teuntje Beekhuis and Noemi Rüegg took up the chase.

The trio and the chasing group managed to catch the leaders and put Van Agt in a good position for the final. “Before the final ascent of the Mur de Huy, I was back in the lead group. I felt pretty good today and managed to save myself quite well for the final, but unfortunately, I ran out of steam in the final kilometre. I was happy to be able to keep up with the leading group.”

According to the 26-year-old rider, this was largely down to the work of her teammates. “Noemi and Teuntje always kept me in the front, and I was always dropped off at the bottom of the climbs. I have to thank them for that. The position was good, but the mental component was equally important. You do it for yourself, and your teammates because you know how much they sacrificed for you.”