As expected, the spectacle began on the cobbled sections. Eighteen riders broke away in the early stages, and the peloton struggled to control the time gap. Vos had to get off her bike before the first cobbled section due to a crash. It was the same story after the first section, this time due to a puncture. Coryn Labecki dropped back to help the 35-year-old Dutch rider, but to no avail. Vos then went on the chase alone, and after a big crash in the peloton, she managed to get back to the strongest riders. After that, it was all about closing the gap with the leading group, but the riders were looking at each other too much. The escapees stayed ahead, and Vos eventually sprinted to 10th place.

"I didn't really see the front today”, Vos said. "I was involved in a crash just before the first section, and then I had a puncture. As a result, I had to go from group to group, and each time my teammates picked me up. Making everyone wait would have made no sense because no one would have been left at the front. There was nothing else to do but go full throttle. I had a lot of help at the end. I never thought we would get so close. It was tough, but today's race shows you should never give up. I think the crowd saw a great race."