Lara Gillespie strikes after exciting Beobank Samyn Ladies

The fifteenth edition of the Beobank Samyn Ladies was won by Lara Gillespie. The Irish rider proved to be by far the fastest in the sprint from a breakaway after an entertaining race. Marthe Goossens finished second at a respectful distance, ahead of her compatriot Marthe Truyen. Quinty Ton also made a mark, crossing the line in fifth place.

After an exciting opening weekend, there was certainly no time to rest, as Monday already featured the next Belgian one-day race. In and around the Walloon town of Quaregnon, the fifteenth edition of the Beobank Samyn Ladies took place. The women used to race on the same day as their male counterparts, but this year, the women's race was organized a day earlier.

Riders such as Charlotte Kool, Lara Gillespie, Ilse Pluimers, Letizia Paternoster, and Sofie van Rooijen were set to tackle multiple passes of the traditional circuit near Dour. With cobblestones from the Rue Chasse de la Motte (300 meters), Rue des Jonquilles (400 meters), Côte de la Roquette (600 meters), Côte des Nonnettes (300 meters), and Rue de Belle Vue (500 meters) in succession, plenty of bouncing was guaranteed.

Dangerous breakaway
Despite several attack attempts in the first hour of racing, the expected early break did not materialize. With sixty kilometers to go, the peloton was still grouped together, but ten riders then managed to launch an attack. Featuring Elynor Bäckstedt, Lara Gillespie, Kamilla Aasebø, Alessia Vigilia, Marthe Truyen, Marta Jaskulska, Marthe Goossens, Caroline Andersson, Quinty Ton, and Amber van der Hulst, the breakaway was absolutely loaded with quality.

And more importantly: almost all the big teams were represented in the race’s front group, except for Picnic PostNL. The Dutch team was therefore forced into chase mode, initially standing alone at the front. Over time, Fenix-Premier Tech decided to lend a hand—despite Truyen being in the leading group. The Belgian squad hoped their top favorite Kool could contest the sprint for the win.

Breakaway riders battle for victory
By then, the ten-rider break had already extended its lead towards two minutes, proving insurmountable. In other words, the winner was upfront, but who would have the final say? Most eyes were on the exceptionally fast Gillespie, though the Irish rider remained wary of any mishaps in the last ten kilometers.

The first attack attempts were quickly neutralized, but after an acceleration about six kilometers from the finish, the breakaway split into two groups, although this was short-lived. It seemed there was only one chance left to make a difference: the cobbles of Rue de Belle Vue. However, a decisive attack never materialized, so it came down to a sprint—albeit with Ton making an all-or-nothing move to surprise Gillespie.

Top favorite executes expertly
The Dutchwoman from Jayco AlUla was unable to escape and essentially delivered a perfect lead-out for Gillespie, who then sprinted impressively to drop all challengers. The Irish rider won by several bike lengths, relegating Goossens and Truyen to the podium places. Ton ultimately crossed the finish line in fifth.