The Italian tricolor through Flanders. Elisa Longo Borghini won the 2025 edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen with a masterful action started 30 kilometers from the finish and concluded with raised arms at the finish line. 30" behind the Italian champion

Just before the start of Dwars door Vlaanderen, we had to register the withdrawal of two recent winners of the race: Marianne Vos, winner last year, and Chiara Consonni, on the top step of the podium in 2022. The Dutch superstar did not show up at the start because, as reported by Team Visma Lease a Bike, "Not in good enough shape to compete"

In the first thirty kilometers of the race, the athletes remained compact, but with the start of the cobblestone sections, the big names appeared at the front of the group: on the cobblestones of the Berg Ten Houte section, Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx – Protime) tried an acceleration and at her wheel, in an instant, were Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Lucinda Brand (Lidl – Trek), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) and other athletes. After an initial split, the group came back together.

Approaching the Knokteberg-Trieu climb, Lidl Trek and SD Worx Protime set an important pace, but Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) attacked on the steep section. Launched from the group, Reusser came out with Lucinda Brand (Lidl – Trek), Femke Gerritse (Team SD Worx – Protime) and Amber Kraak (FDJ – SUEZ) immediately on her wheel.

The predominantly Dutch quartet broke up on the Eikenberg cobblestone section, and Kraak and Reusser remained in front. Meanwhile, Elisa Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borghini were leading a group of immediate chasers in which the world champion Lotte Kopecky was not present.

Thirty kilometers from the finish, at the passage of the Doorn cobblestone section, Elisa Longo Borghini progressed and rejoined the Kraak / Reusser tandem. Shortly after, the Italian champion accelerated again, immediately gaining an advantage over the Swiss Movistar rider and the 30-year-old from FDJ Suez, while the group with Balsamo and Kopecky was reported even further behind.

At the -12 kilometers to the finish marker, with Longo Borghini in the lead, the Balsamo group caught and contained Marlen Reusser and Amber Kraak. Near the Nokere Climb, the UAE Team ADQ captain could manage a 25" advantage over a sextet of immediate chasers including Kopecky, Bredewold, Balsamo, Chabbey, Niewiadoma, and Pieterse.