Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Workforce ADQ) gained the Ladies’s GP Wallonie, triumphing on the closing climb of the Citadelle de Namur with a late burst to the road from a choose group of favourites.
She beat Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) into second place on the 3km lengthy cobbled finisher whereas Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) rounded out the rostrum on the finish of 139km of racing by the Ardennes from Blegny.
Swinkels’ win, on the third version of the ladies’s race, is the largest of her profession up to now, coming in her first season at UAE following a three-year spell at Jumbo-Visma.
Her burst to win up the race’s last hill got here after three-and-a-half hours of energetic racing with attacking within the last led largely by Lidl-Trek’s Italian duo Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini.
The day’s principal breakaway was caught simply over 20km from the road, simply in time for the difficult hilly finale.
The harmful group, consisting of Ilse Pluimers (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal), Nina Buijsman (FDJ-Suez), Alenia Amialiusik (UAE Workforce ADQ), Alison Jackson (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) and Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek), solely went clear within the second half of the race. It was no shock that they had been stored on a brief leash and introduced again effectively in time for the end.
Italian champion Longo Borghini pushed the tempo on the Côte du Tienne-aux-Pierres quickly after, establishing an assault by her teammate Realini.
She pushed on solo, creating a spot of 45 seconds to the chasers. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t final to the road, as a substitute being introduced again 7km out as FDJ-Suez led the chase.
2023 Junior World Champion Julie Bego (Cofidis) was the primary to strive a giant transfer on the ending hill, however neither she nor Realini might break away on the entrance. Realini as a substitute arrange the dash for Longo Borghini, who entered the closing straight in Swinkels’ wheel.
It appeared like prime place for the Giro d’Italia Ladies champion to hurry previous and declare her sixth victory of 2024. However Swinkels bought the soar on her rivals, beginning the dash simply because the leaders exited the ultimate bend and holding off Longo Borghini for the win.