Wind, rain, and hail were on the menu for the riders in the ninth edition of the Tour of Bruges. The peloton set off from the West Flanders city for 144 pancake-flat kilometers. The race stayed controlled for a long time, and ultimately no significant breakaway managed to form. Aside from a few attack attempts, the peloton remained together.  

In tough weather conditions, the riders completed the local laps in and around Bruges. The expected echelons failed to materialize. As in previous editions, the race once again came down to a bunch sprint. In the finale, the riders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women brought Veenhoven forward at the right moment and in an ideal position. The 22-year-old Dutch rider surged strongly in the final meters, but ultimately had to concede to Balsamo and winner Lloyd.  

“I’m happy I could reward the team today with a podium finish,” Veenhoven said afterward. “There was a lot of tension because everyone was alert for potential echelons. The wind was favorable for that, but unfortunately it wasn’t strong enough to create splits. In the end, we got a nice bunch sprint.”  

“We handled the finale well as a team. We took the initiative in the peloton early on. In the closing stages, I chose to follow the wheels of the Lidl-Trek riders. I got boxed in briefly on the final straight, but luckily found space to start my sprint. Third place is definitely a solid result to build on. I head into In Flanders Fields – In Wevelgem on Sunday with a good feeling,” Veenhoven added.  

Sports director Jos van Emden also reacted with satisfaction: “We rode a fairly anonymous race, but moved up at the right moment. With just over ten kilometers to go, our riders took control of the peloton. That effort was rewarded with Nienke’s third place. I’m very happy for her that everything came together today. The Tour of Bruges is a major race, so it’s great to see her perform at this level.”