The day after the opening prologue in the Netherlands, the peloton headed to Belgium for a 127-kilometre flat stage. A bunch sprint appeared to be the most likely outcome, and thanks in part to the efforts of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, that’s exactly how it unfolded. The yellow-and-black formation showed itself as a strong collective in the final and guided Veenhoven to the front lines.

On the final straight, the youngster was well positioned, but she proved unable to beat Kool and Consonni. "I have a good feeling about this sprint", Veenhoven said afterwards. "As a team we rode a good final. From the last local lap, we were where we wanted to be. From there I only had to follow the wheels of the ladies. That was super nice."

In the final ascending metres, Kool and Consonni proved to be faster. "I started the sprint in Chiara's wheel and that's where I finished. I think that was the maximum today." According to Veenhoven, it was obvious that there was going to be a sprint for the win today. "It would have been nonsense not to go for a sprint with such an easy course. I am looking forward to the next few days. Tomorrow will be another great day."

Thanks to the bonification seconds gained, Veenhoven moved up to eighth place in the standings. Margaux Vigié is still in sixth place. "The classification is not our main goal. If we get good results in the coming stages, the ranking will come naturally. There are still great opportunities coming up for me and for the team."