Kool sprints to victory in the Scheldeprijs
Charlotte Kool proved to be the fastest on the Churchilllaan. The Dutch rider perfectly finished off the work of her team, adding her name to the winners’ list. Nienke Veenhoven and Elisa Balsamo completed the podium.
Under bright sunshine in Schoten, the riders lined up for the sixth edition of the women’s Scheldeprijs. The race got underway at 11:40 a.m., and after covering 130 kilometres, the riders contested victory on the Churchilllaan.
The early breakaway did not take long to form. After an initial attack, seven riders managed to break clear of the peloton. Seynave (Lotto Intermarché Ladies), Van Dam (Citymesh – Customm Pro Cycling Team), Porton (Handsling Alba Development Road Team), Jäger (LKT‑Team), Huber (Nexetis), Gadd (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) and Gschwenter (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) built up a maximum advantage of three minutes.
The peloton increased the pace and brought the breakaway back with 50 kilometres to go. Despite several attacks from Team SD Worx – Protime, the sprint teams managed to keep everything together. A late move by Gerritse (Team SD Worx – Protime) on the Broekstraat briefly added suspense, but led by Team Visma | Lease a Bike, her effort was neutralised five kilometres from the finish.
With two kilometres remaining, the sprint was disrupted by a major crash involving, among others, Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco). Fenix‑Premier Tech then took control in the run‑in, and Kool (Fenix‑Premier Tech) perfectly completed the work of her team. After three runner‑up finishes, the Dutch rider finally added the Scheldeprijs to her palmarès. Veenhoven (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Balsamo (Lidl – Trek) joined her on the podium.
