After a long, quiet start, the race opened up with about sixty kilometres to go. Many attacks followed, but eventually it came down to a sprint in Leuven. The Italian riders started the sprint after which Vos won her sixth silver medal.

The three-time world champion was disappointed with her second place. “I would have liked to win here. Balsamo rode a very strong race. When she attacked, I couldn’t develop more speed. The last metres were painful, because I felt I couldn’t get past her. I missed the punch. It’s been a grueling race”, Vos said. “It’s a shame I wasn’t able to finish it off. It wouldn’t have been the first time for me, but you don’t get a chance like this every day.”

Britain’s Anna Henderson showed up at the front frequently. “I didn’t know how my legs would feel. When we turned onto the Flandrien Circuit, I noticed that it was all right. On the Leuven circuit, I rode up front a lot in case the opportunity arose to jump in. I will take this experience with me for the future.”