Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of yet another Belgian one-day race. Today, we're in Schoten, on the northeastern edge of Antwerp, for the Scheldeprijs Women's race. This race is a sprint-oriented event, typically favoring fast women who excel in short, intense bursts of speed. The route, spanning 130.3km, features only 300m of climbing, making it an ideal setting for sprinters to showcase their skills. The race begins with a 2.5km neutral section, followed by an official start five minutes later. The peloton will then embark on three laps of 16.9km each, including sections of cobblestones, though not the gnarly kind. The finish line is set with 50.7km to go, providing a challenging yet manageable distance for the sprinters. The Scheldeprijs Women's race is a part of the ProSeries level, which means it attracts a mix of WorldTour, Pro, and Continental teams, along with some club teams. Among the riders, attention turns to Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech), who has finished third at Scheldeprijs on three occasions and is in excellent form this season with multiple top 10 finishes. Her former leadout rider, Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto), has also had success, finishing second in 2022 and third in '23. Elisa Balsamo (SD Worx-Protime), the defending champion from 2025, is also in the lineup, aiming to defend her title. The race is organized by Flanders Classics and marks the last of their traditional spring classics to feature a women's race, with the first edition held in 2021. The leading group, including Ilken Seynave (Lotto-Intermarché), Yonna van Dam (Citymesh-Customm), Mari Porton (Handsling Alba Development), Clara Jäger (LKT Team), Lea Huber (NEXETIS), Lucy Gadd, and Leila Gschwentner (all from the British Smurfit-Westrock team), has already established a decent advantage of 1.40 over the peloton. However, the race is far from over, with the cobblestone section of Broekstraat approaching, which could prove decisive if teams decide to make a move there. The peloton, led by SD Worx-Protime, is closely monitoring the situation, aware that the technical nature of this part of the circuit could lead to a split in the bunch. As the race unfolds, the tension builds, and the sprinters prepare for the final sprint, hoping to claim the victory that has eluded them in previous years. The Scheldeprijs Women's race promises to be a thrilling spectacle, with the fast women ready to battle it out for the win. Stay tuned for more updates as the race progresses and the sprinters gear up for the final sprint.
