In the eighth edition of the Belgian spring classic, it quickly became clear that the race would end in a sprint. Despite several attack attempts, a large peloton headed toward the center of De Panne. In the final kilometers, the yellow-and-black team positioned themselves well at the front, and Veenhoven managed to settle in at the front as well. In the sprint, the young Dutch rider then powered her way to a strong sixth-place finish.

“With a sixth place in this field, Nienke did really well", reflects team manager Jos van Emden with satisfaction. “Nienke is making tremendous progress. Lately, she’s been getting better at mixing it up in the sprinting chaos, and it’s great to see. That she was also up there today is a positive sign. However, there are still areas we can improve together.”

Since this year, Veenhoven has formed a sprinting duo with Martina Fidanza, and Van Emden sees that this collaboration is working out excellently. “We’re really happy with Martina. The collaboration between her and Nienke is going really well. Martina brings a lot of experience, which we’re already seeing in the finals. She’s also very strong communicatively, and as a team, we’re learning a lot from her.”