Franziska KOCH. 10. The 25-year-old German champion is the one who launches the decisive attack in sector number 10. She has extraordinary legs, responds to attacks from Vos and Ferrand Prevot, accelerates on every stretch of pavé, even tries to isolate her rivals and plays it all with a masterful sprint, forcing Vos to the outside and preventing her comeback. Simply perfect.
Marianne VOS. 9. Returns to racing after skipping Sanremo and Flanders to be close to her father, to whom she said her final goodbye just days before. With her Visma Lease a Bike, she immediately makes it clear she wants to control the race and secure that victory that has eluded her. It's clear she's the captain of the day, but Koch was unbeatable today.
Pauline FERRAND PREVOT. 7. She was racing with number 1, only confirmed her participation a few days before the race and now we understand why: her condition is not exceptional, she lost ground on the pavé several times, in the finale when she caught up with Koch and Vos she should have launched a sharp attack, instead she accelerated for just a few meters before sitting back, and even in the final lap she failed to be truly useful to Vos.
Lotte KOPECKY. 4. A rating to be shared with Lorena Wiebes and with the SD Worx team management: when they have Vas in the breakaway quartet, they take more than twenty kilometers to decide how to move tactically and meanwhile the advantage of the leading riders becomes insurmountable. When Kopecky makes her move, not only is it too late, she doesn't even gain a second on her rivals. And Wiebes's sixth place adds little, winning the sprint among the dropped riders.
Megan JASTRAB. 7. A fifth place that's worth a lot, that of the twenty-two-year-old American from UAE ADQ, called upon to lead a team without her captain Longo Borghini. Well done to hold her own against Kopecky and stay with her in the finale.
Kata Blanka VAS. 6.5. Perfect race reading by the Hungarian champion who doesn't get caught off guard by Koch and her Visma Lease a Bike teammate. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have the legs to withstand Koch's acceleration 23 kilometers from the finish and has to surrender.
Elisa BALSAMO. 5. Two punctures can bring anyone to their knees and the Piedmontese rider from Lidl Trek is no exception. The second puncture comes in the Orchies sector, we see her chasing on the wheel of her teammate Hanson but without the strength in her legs to close the gap. And dreams of glory slip away.
Chiara CONSONNI. 6. A passing grade for the best Italian, who finished 18th in the group regulated by Wiebes, but never finding space in the thick of the action. The underwhelming spring of our women's cycling continues...
Rosa Maria KLÖSER. 7. The CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto rider is the first to attack after just 13 kilometers: it takes courage to throw yourself into a solo breakaway in the hardest classic of all. For more than 70 kilometers she was the beacon of the race, then she surrendered to the strong pace imposed by Visma Lease a Bike: applause.
Lucinda BRAND. 17. A rating to be shared with all the riders who had to deal with crashes: at Carrefour de l'Arbre she chooses to pedal on the roadside and hits a spectator, crashing heavily while chasing with Kopecky and Jastrab.