Women's Simac Ladies Tour Kickoff: Lorena Wiebes Dominates Sprint in Stage 1

The first stage of the Simac Ladies Tour 2025 in Leuven, Belgium, saw multiple attempts at breakaways and attacks, but none managed to stay away from the bunch for long. The race, the penultimate Women's World Tour stage race of the year, was marked by intense competition and strategic manoeuvres.

Team SD Worx and VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team put significant pressure on the race leaders throughout the day. Riejanne Markus and Lucinda Brand of Team SD Worx, along with several other teams, made numerous attempts to break away. Jeanne Korevaar (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Letizia Borghesi (EF Education-Cannondale) also tried their luck, but Lorena Wiebes, the eventual winner, chased them down each time.

Wiebes' victory marks her 18th win of the season and the 111th of her career. The Team SD Worx-Protime rider came around Elisa Balsamo in the final sprint to take the stage win. Balsamo finished second, with Pfeiffer Georgi and Margaux Vigié of Team Visma-Lease a Bike finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

The race was controlled early on by Team SD Worx-ProTime and Lidl-Trek. A breakaway was finally established by Lauretta Hanson, but she was brought back by a strung-out bunch led by Pfeiffer Georgi and Femke Gerritse. Lidl-Trek launched their lead-out for Wiebes, who came around Balsamo to win the stage.

Margaux Vigié of Team Visma-Lease a Bike made a long-range attack and enjoyed the most sizeable gap of the day. She and Pfeiffer Georgi maintained a 19-second lead into the final lap of the circuit. However, they were closed down with 200 meters remaining in the race.

The first stage was relatively short at 81.3 kilometers and featured eleven laps around Leuven, Belgium. The race now moves to Gennep for stage 2, with Team SD Worx-ProTime starting with Wiebes as the leader.

Elsewhere in the race, Ellen van Dijk of Lidl-Trek launched an attack, joined by Lieke Nooijen (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ). The trio briefly threatened the lead group, but they were eventually reeled in.

In the final sprint, Elisa Balsamo finished second, with Clara Copponi rounding out the podium in third place. The Simac Ladies Tour 2025 promises to be an exciting race, with Wieves setting the pace early on.