Tour of Flanders 2024 Women Live: Vos in the break but Kopecky struggling as the rain intensifies
Tour of Flanders Women
Women | 31.03.2024
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Updated 31/03/2024 at 16:32 GMT
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LONGO BORGHINI BACK TO HER BEST
We will leave it there today for our live coverage, but you can read our report into how the action unfolded below. And make sure you stick with us across the next few weeks for the rest of the classics - they haven't disappointed so far, and the women's field seems to be ridiculously stacked with talent at the moment.
After today, Longo Borghini is firmly back in the mix, while Kopecky will be looking to bounce back in style at Paris Roubaix.
Plenty to get excited by in the next few weeks, all of which will be live on discovery+.
17:19
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
That was a brutal day of racing, across both the men's and women's editions. And the races come thick and fast, with Paris Roubaix next weekend. Will the riders get any sort of break with the weather, or will it be more brutal hell out there?
Those races are of course, live on discovery+.
17:10
A TOUGH, TOUGH RACE
"This was horrible, I am dead," says Demi Vollering. "Lotte and I needed to get off the bike [on the Koppenberg] and this cost us too much energy which was a shame. I think if we'd been at the front of the race together... But we wasted too much energy coming back, it was really hard."
17:07
MORE FROM THE TOP THREE
Niewiadoma is the next to talk to the press, after a very, very good race:
It was such a hard race because of the weather conditions, to be honest I'm happy to finish on the podium and it is good for the upcoming races so I'm happy to be in this shape. It was very hectic because of the rain I think every team struggled with positioning because the conditions were so dangerous.
17:03
MORE FROM THE RACE WINNER
Longo Borghini admits she doesn't really like the rain - and yet, and yet.
We know our strength is in the team. I won with the tricolore on my shoulder, I’m a more mature woman, I was just a kid when I first won it. I will for sure enjoy the victory with the team.
17:01
RACE WINNER LONGO BORGHINI REACTS
This race means a lot to me. I would like to thank the entire team for the way they supported me today, I had a crash because I had a flat and I went down. It’s just amazing, we can be proud - first and third in a race like this, it’s a huge team performance.
16:56
LONGO BORGHINI WINS FOR LIDL-TREK
Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) was second in the end, van Anrooij third. They were not that far in front of the chasers, timing their sprint to perfection. Longo Borghini threw her arms wide, roaring in triumph before punching the air.
Just a brilliant, brilliant race that. Brutal conditions, as Lidl-Trek more than answer the question of how to beat the mighty SD Worx team.
16:54
LONGO BORGHINI WINS FLANDERS!
What a day, what a race, what a result. Well done Lidl-Trek, well played. Longo Borghini had the legs in the final 100 metres, and she takes her second victory in this prestigious race.
16:53
500M TO GO - VAN ANROOIJ SPRINTS FIRST
She goes, she goes, but Longo Borghini is on her wheel and she goes past! All the way to the line, Niewiadoma is out of this...
16:51
1.1KM TO GO - WHO IS TAKING THIS?
Van Anrooij attacks. Can they play cat and mouse here? Vos isn't that far away. Now no one wants to lead it out. And suddenly you can see the chasers! Oh no, no, no - they are all still looking at each other and the chasers are coming...
16:50
2.5KM TO GO - THE THREE LEADERS ARE POWERED ON
The pace is relentless. Vos is at the front of the chase group but the gap is growing again. It looks like it is between these three.
Longo Borghini, van Anrooij for Lidl-Trek, Niewiadoma for Canyon-SRAM.
Who has it?
16:48
4KM TO GO - STILL ALL TO PLAY FOR
Five chasers, three up front. Longo Borghini is third wheel at the moment. She's won this race before, back in 2015. She has a team mate too. But what a team mate. And Niewiadoma can't be discounted - she's arguably had to work less hard today up until now.
The lead is at 18 seconds.
16:45
6KM TO GO - VOS FINALLY HELPS
Vos does do a turn on the front, but Pieterse doesn't come through for her turn, her legs look done. The front three still have a lead, and it has grown - 28 seconds now.
Van Anrooij is arguably the best sprinter of the three up front, or at least based on what happened a few days ago...
16:43
8KM TO GO - HAS VOS GOT ANYTHING LEFT?
Vos has been quiet, bar making it into that elite bunch. The gap to the leaders is growing. Is she going to launch any kind of attack?
16:40
10KM TO GO - WHO IS WINNING TODAY?
Oh, it's too hard to call. Three are out front, and although there are two team mates, all three need to commit and work together to keep the rest at bay.
The chasers are 15 seconds back. It's doable, but they need to coordinate. Vos isn't working, so it's Kopecky and Vollering doing most of the hard yards at the moment.
16:39
12KM TO GO - THE LEAD CHANGES HANDS
Van Anrooij is slowing, and she is caught and passed by those chasers, Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma. Lidl-Trek with two riders up front now.
Van Anrooij manages to catch and stay on the wheel, and these three have 18 seconds on the rest. Who will have the legs to get to the finish?
16:36
13KM TO GO - ALL TO PLAY FOR
Van Anrooij leads. Pieterse is caught by the chase group, pain etched across her face. Vollering was pulling at the front but she drops back, also struggling. Niewiadoma moves to the front. And she has dropped the rest, she has Longo Borghini for company though.
Vos is struggling on the climbs but could still come back into this.
15KM TO GO - VAN ANROOIJ ATTACKS AGAIN
Van Anrooij would be the youngest ever winner if she can do this, and she's just put her foot down again. She's dropped Pieterse, but she's just had to brake hard as the race vehicle ahead gets in her way. Less than ideal, and she has a wobble on another corner too. Conditions are so, so tricky.
She hits the bottom of the Paterberg...
16:31
16KM TO GO - THE CHASERS CAN SEE THEIR QUARRY
One climb to go and then it's all about the fast finish. The chasers can see the lead duo, and the gap is down to 12 seconds. Kopecky is still there, so is Vos. Penny for their thoughts? Vos has been quiet ever since the Koppenberg - is she planning a late attack?
16:29
17KM TO GO - VAN ANROOIJ OUT FRONT
She's had a brilliant season already, but this would be a defining moment. But van Anrooij is joined and passed by Pieterse again. Georgi has been dropped from the chasers.
The rain is absolutely hammering down, conditions are horrendous and this is a race of attrition. Very much a spring classic then. You can barely see any of the jerseys, they are all splattered with mud, dirt and soaked through.