Dwars door Vlaanderen Women: Marlen Reusser edges out Demi Vollering in thrilling photo-finish sprint to claim victory

Marlen Reusser wearing a white jersey with blue M for Movistar celebrates with one arm raised.

Marlen Reusser (Movistar) won the women's Dwars door Vlaanderen, coming from behind to outsprint Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) and Lieke Nooijen (Visma-Lease a Bike) after Nooijen almost caught the two superstars by surprise on the finishing straight.

Reusser attacked with 24km to go just after the Huisepontweg cobbles, and Vollering jumped after her, bridging across at the bottom of the Nokereberg 22km from the finish.

After a brief disagreement, the two riders traded turns to keep a slender advantage on a chase group of 21 riders where UAE Team ADQ did a lot of the chase work but eventually ran out of riders.

The gap was reduced to as few as eight seconds atop the last climb, the Nokereberg, but as the cooperation in the chase group went away, Reusser and Vollering could increase their advantage again, ensuring they would stay away.

Reusser forced Vollering to lead out the sprint, and their pace went out completely while Nooijen attacked from the chase group.

Nooijen came past Vollering and Reusser, who had to sprint after her to get in her wheel. Reusser and Vollering came around Nooijen in the last 50 metres, and Reusser just pipped Vollering to the line.

Reusser, Nooijen and Vollering at the line (Image credit: Getty Images)

"I'm a bit surprised because I didn't expect this, I'm so happy," Reusser said after the finish. "In the beginning of the race, I really had trouble positioning and stuff, but I kept being confident, also to help the team. We have a super strong team, and it felt so good to know that I had Liane [Lippert] and Cat [Ferguson] in the group behind, they are so fast, so if we don't make it, we can probably still get a result with them.

"It was key to have Cat behind because I knew I don't have to really keep pushing. I said to Demi, 'I stay in the wheel'. We had the opposite in the Tour de Suisse, today I had the cards to say I can go in the wheel. She had to go, I could follow for quite a while and then I could make it," Reusser described the sprint.

However, Nooijen almost threw a spanner in the works with her late attack. Reusser did not expect Nooijen to be as close as she was, flying past the two leaders at the 250-metre mark.

"I was like, 'what the fuck?'. I heard it on the radio, but the TV is behind, so I hear 'Visma is coming very fast', and I was like, 'yeah, I can see that'. I thought, give it a try. I was really lucky with the sprint because I had this injury, and my sprint isn't great at the moment, but I could stay in the wheel for so long," finished Reusser.

How it unfolded

Alison Avoine (Ma Petite Entreprise), Mia Gjertsen (Uno-X Mobility), Natalie Quinn (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) and Mia Griffin (Picnic PostNL) in the early move (Image credit: Getty Images)

The early breakaway was caught with 44km to go. Franzi Koch (FDJ United-Suez) had already led the peloton over the cobbles of the Mariaborrestraat, closing the gap to the break, and then hit the front again on the Eikenberg, splitting the peloton.

Vollering, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech), Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance-Soudal), and Fleur Moors (Lidl-Trek) pulled away as Koch sat up, opening a 15-second gap.

UAE Team ADQ put Eleonora Gasparrini, Silvia Persico, and even Elisa Longo Borghini to work to close this gap, making the catch 36km from the finish. An attack by Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) was reeled in by Koch, then Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) attacked just before the Huisepontweg cobblestone section.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Swinkels opened a seven-second gap over the cobbles but was then caught on the asphalt afterwards, and Reusser jumped away solo. Pieterse tried to close the gap but couldn’t follow Reusser’s acceleration. After a moment of regrouping, Longo Borghini launched from the group but had Ferguson on her wheel, and instead it was Vollering who could get clear and started a solo chase.

Vollering caught up with Reusser on the Nokereberg where Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) attacked from the chase group. With Swinkels and Zoe Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) on her wheel, they got a small separation as Longo Borghini couldn’t close the gap, but when Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) took over, the three attackers were caught.

Up front, Vollering and Reusser had a little discussion but eventually worked together, increasing their gap to 19 seconds after the Herlegemstraat cobbles with 18km to go as UAE Team ADQ took up the chase in numbers with Persico, Gasparrini and Longo Borghini.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

At the 10km mark, the chasers were ten seconds behind, but Persico had now given her all and dropped out of the chase group. After the Waregemsestraat climb, Vollering tried to attack but could not shake off Reusser, and the lack of cooperation in the chase group meant that the two frontrunners pulled away again.

On the final kilometre, Reusser sat on Vollering’s wheel, and Nooijen had attacked from behind, flying past with 250 metres to go and forcing Vollering to sprint after her which gave Reusser the edge in a close sprint to the line.

Backstedt won the group sprint for fourth place ahead of Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels) and Ferguson.

Results

Pos	Rider	Time gap
1	Marlen Reusser (Swi) Movistar Team	3:09:12
2	Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ United-SUEZ	0
3	Lieke Nooijen (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike	0
4	Zoe Backstedt (GBr) Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto	7
5	Eline Jansen (Ned) Volkerwessels	7
6	Cat Ferguson (GBr) Movistar Team	7
7	Charlotte Kool (Ned) Fenix-Premier Tech	7
8	Franziska Koch (Ger) FDJ United-SUEZ	7
9	Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team ADQ	7
10	Thalita de Jong (Ned) Human Powered Health	7
11	Letizia Borghesi (Ita) AG Insurance-Soudal	7
12	Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime	7
13	Elise Chabbey (Swi) FDJ United-SUEZ	7
14	Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco	7
15	Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Lidl-Trek	7
16	Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime	7
17	Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Premier Tech	7
18	Kimberley le Court-Pienaar (Mri) AG Insurance-Soudal	12
19	Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar Team	17
20	Silvia Persico (Ita) UAE Team ADQ	1:35
21	Julia Kopecký (Cze) SD Worx-Protime	1:35
22	Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ	1:35
23	Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ	2:30
24	Linda Riedmann (Ger) Lotto-Intermarché	2:30
25	Lily Williams (USA) Human Powered Health	2:30
26	Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto	2:30
27	Arianna Fidanza (Ita) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi	2:30
28	Linda Zanetti (Swi) Uno-X Mobility	2:30
29	Laura Molenaar (Ned) Volkerwessels	2:30
30	Marine Allione (Fra) Mayenne Monbana My Pie	2:30
31	Fleur Moors (Bel) Lidl-Trek	2:30
32	Imogen Wolff (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike	2:30
33	Idoia Eraso Lasa (Spa) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi	2:30
34	Marthe Truyen (Bel) Fenix-Premier Tech	2:30
35	Letizia Paternoster (Ita) Liv AlUla Jayco	2:30
36	Alison Avoine (Fra) Ma Petite Entreprise	2:30
37	Anneke Dijkstra (Ned) Volkerwessels	2:30
38	Nina Berton (Lux) EF Education-Oatly	2:30
39	Esmée Peperkamp (Ned) Volkerwessels	2:30
40	Anna van Wersch (Ned) Lotto-Intermarché	2:30
41	Katharina Sadnik (Aut) Visma-Lease a Bike	2:30
42	Natalie Quinn (USA) Mayenne Monbana My Pie	2:30
43	Anastasiya Kolesava (Blr) Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto	2:30
44	Annelies Frieda Bart Nijssen (Bel) Lotto-Intermarché	2:30
45	Femke Gerritse (Ned) SD Worx-Protime	2:30
46	Noa Jansen (Ned) Liv AlUla Jayco	2:30
47	Quinty Ton (Ned) Liv AlUla Jayco	2:30
48	Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Uno-X Mobility	2:30
49	Alessia Vigilia (Ita) Uno-X Mobility	2:30
50	Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco	2:39
51	Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Cub) Movistar Team	2:39
52	Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team	2:39
53	Lucinda Brand (Ned) Lidl-Trek	2:39
54	Loes Adegeest (Ned) Lidl-Trek	2:39
55	Alexandra Volstad (Can) EF Education-Oatly	7:22
56	Dina Boels (Bel) Lotto-Intermarché	7:22
57	Juliana Londoño David (Col) Picnic PostNL	7:22
58	Mia Griffin (Irl) Picnic PostNL	7:22
59	Fiona Mangan (Irl) Mayenne Monbana My Pie	7:22
60	Mirre Knaven (Ned) EF Education-Oatly	7:22
61	Marieke Meert (Bel) Lotto-Intermarché	7:22
62	Alexis Magner (USA) EF Education-Oatly	7:22
63	Constance Valentin (Fra) Mayenne Monbana My Pie	7:22
64	Celia le Mouel (Fra) Ma Petite Entreprise	7:22
65	Marta Jaskulska (Pol) Human Powered Health	7:25
66	Daniek Hengeveld (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike	7:25
67	Laura Tomasi (Ita) Uno-X Mobility	7:25
68	Megan Jastrab (USA) UAE Team ADQ	7:25
69	Megan Arens (Ned) Picnic PostNL	7:25
70	Brodie Chapman (Aus) UAE Team ADQ	7:25
71	Marthe Goossens (Bel) AG Insurance-Soudal	7:25
72	Mia Gjertsen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility	7:25
73	Carina Schrempf (Aut) Fenix-Premier Tech	7:25
74	Cristina Tonetti (Ita) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi	7:25
75	Elena Cecchini (Ita) SD Worx-Protime	7:25
76	Kathrin Schweinberger (Aut) Human Powered Health	7:25
77	Flora Perkins (GBr) Fenix-Premier Tech	7:25
78	Lauretta Hanson (Aus) Lidl-Trek	7:30
79	Ally Marée Wollaston (NZl) FDJ United-SUEZ	7:30
80	Emma Cecilie Norsgaard Bjerg (Den) Lidl-Trek	7:30
81	Amber Kraak (Ned) FDJ United-SUEZ	7:30
DNF	Maria Apolonia van 't Geloof (Ned) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi
DNF	Gaia Masetti (Ita) Picnic PostNL
DNF	Katia Ragusa (Ita) Human Powered Health
DNF	Maggie Coles-Lyster (Can) Human Powered Health
DNF	Auke de Buysser (Bel) EF Education-Oatly
DNF	Babette van der Wolf (Ned) EF Education-Oatly
DNF	Romina Hinojosa Cruz (Mex) Lotto-Intermarché
DNF	Anne Knijnenburg (Ned) Volkerwessels
DNF	Bodine Vollering (Ned) Volkerwessels
DNF	Ilona Rouat (Fra) Ma Petite Entreprise
DNF	Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi
DNF	Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (Pol) Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
DNF	Catalina Soto Campos (Chi) Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi
DNF	Daniela Hezinová (Cze) Picnic PostNL
DNF	Margot Marasco (Fra) Ma Petite Entreprise
DNF	Evy Kuijpers (Ned) Fenix-Premier Tech
DNF	Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
DNF	Maike van der Duin (Ned) Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
DNF	Georgia Baker (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
DNF	Fauve Bastiaenssen (Bel) AG Insurance-Soudal
DNF	Carys Lloyd (GBr) Movistar Team
DNF	Margaux Vigie (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike
DNF	Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) FDJ United-SUEZ
DNF	Barbara Guarischi (Ita) SD Worx-Protime
DNF	Lea Rondel (Fra) Mayenne Monbana My Pie
DNF	Justine Gegu (Fra) Mayenne Monbana My Pie
DNF	Francesca Pellegrini (Ita) Uno-X Mobility
DNF	Nicole Steigenga (Ned) AG Insurance-Soudal
DNF	Ella Heremans (Bel) Picnic PostNL
DNF	Alana Castrique (Bel) AG Insurance-Soudal