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Belgium 05 Apr 2026 Class 1.WWT – 1 day – UCI Women’s WorldTour
Website www.rondevanvlaanderen.be
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
The 2026 Ronde van Vlaanderen Women (1.WWT) is scheduled for Sunday, April 5, 2026. The race starts and finishes in Oudenaarde, covering a demanding course of approximately 164.1 km.
Event Schedule (CEST)
The day’s program in Oudenaarde is packed with both the women’s and men’s elite races, as well as fan events:
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 | Elite Women’s Team Presentation | Markt, Oudenaarde |
| 13:25 | Official Start: Elite Women | Markt, Oudenaarde |
| 14:15 | Special Olympics Individual Time Trial | Minderbroedersstraat |
| 15:18 | Elite Women: First Passage | Markt, Oudenaarde |
| 16:30 | Elite Men: Expected Finish | Minderbroedersstraat |
| 17:35 | Elite Women: Expected Finish | Minderbroedersstraat |
Key Race Milestones (Estimated)
If you are tracking the race or visiting a fan zone, here are the expected passage times for the women’s peloton:
- Koppenberg: 16:29
- Kruisberg: 16:57
- Oude Kwaremont: 17:12
- Paterberg: 17:17 (the final climb before the 13 km run-in to the finish)
Route Highlights
The 2026 edition features 1,324 meters of climbing and includes many of the classic “Bergs” that define the Flanders Monument. The final 45 kilometers are particularly grueling, featuring the iconic Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg duo.
Top Contenders to Watch
The start list includes the heavy hitters of the women’s peloton:
Puck Pieterse (Fenix – Deceuninck)
Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx – Protime)
Demi Vollering (FDJ United – SUEZ)
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
In a dominant display that mirrored the men’s race, Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) claimed her first-ever Tour of Flanders title today. She secured the win with a powerful solo attack on the Oude Kwaremont, finishing 42 seconds ahead of her nearest rivals.
The victory marks a significant moment for Vollering, who had previously finished as runner-up in 2023, and adds a third “Monument” to her career achievements.
2026 Women’s Top 10 Results
| # | Rider | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demi Vollering | FDJ United – SUEZ | 4:16:37 |
| 2 | Pauline Ferrand-Prévot | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | + 0:42 |
| 3 | Puck Pieterse | Fenix – Premier Tech | + 0:42 |
| 4 | Lotte Kopecky | Team SD Worx – Protime | + 1:04 |
| 5 | Zoe Bäckstedt | Canyon//SRAM Racing | + 1:04 |
| 6 | Karlijn Swinkels | UAE Team ADQ | + 1:04 |
| 7 | Silvia Persico | UAE Team ADQ | + 1:07 |
| 8 | Elisa Longo Borghini | UAE Team ADQ | + 1:07 |
| 9 | Mischa Bredewold | Team SD Worx – Protime | + 1:58 |
| 10 | Franziska Koch | FDJ United – SUEZ | + 1:58 |
Key Race Highlights
- The Winning Move: Much like Pogačar in the men’s race, Vollering used the Oude Kwaremont as her launching pad. She dropped a small group of elite favorites—including Kopecky and Ferrand-Prévot—and held her lead through the Paterberg and the final flat run into Oudenaarde.
- Kopecky Denied: Defending champion and three-time winner Lotte Kopecky was unable to follow the decisive move on the Kwaremont. She eventually finished 4th after losing contact with the podium chasers on the final climbs.
- Multidisciplinary Podium: The top three highlights the versatility in the current peloton, featuring road specialist Vollering alongside multi-discipline stars Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (MTB/Road) and Puck Pieterse (CX/MTB/Road).
- Team Strength: While Vollering took the solo glory, her FDJ United-Suez team played a tactical masterclass, with Franziska Koch driving the pace early on the Koppenberg to thin out the field.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Nina Berton (EF Education–Oatly) has had an active and aggressive spring classics season so far in 2026. While she was on the start list for today’s Ronde van Vlaanderen, she didn’t crack the top 10 in the final results.
Here is a quick look at her 2026 campaign leading up to today:
Recent Performance Highlights
- Ronde van Vlaanderen (Today): She started as a key support rider for EF Education–Oatly, working for teammates like Kristen Faulkner and Noemi Rüegg. She finished in the main chasing group, outside the top results dominated by Demi Vollering.
- Gent-Wevelgem (Last Week): Unfortunately, Nina had a rough day at In Flanders Fields. She was involved in two separate crashes and was eventually forced to abandon the race after the second fall.
- Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (February): This was her standout performance of the season. She went on a bold attack before the Muur van Geraardsbergen and managed to hold on for a 9th place finish—her career-best result in a major Flemish classic.
- UAE Tour (February): She showed her aggressive style early in the year, particularly in Stage 3, where she launched a solo breakaway and held off the peloton until the final 5km.
Current Profile
- Team: EF Education–Oatly
- Nationality: Luxembourg
- Role: Classics Specialist / Puncher
- 2026 Status: She has moved into a more prominent role this year, often acting as the team’s “attacker” to force other big teams like SD Worx to chase.
She’s clearly in great form this spring, and despite the bad luck at Gent-Wevelgem, her top-10 at Omloop proves she’s becoming a serious contender on the cobbles.
While the men’s “Ronde” has been a staple since 1913, the Ronde van Vlaanderen voor Vrouwen (Tour of Flanders for Women) is a younger, though no less prestigious, addition to the spring classics. Since its inception in 2004, it has evolved from a 94 km “sister race” into a grueling 160+ km Monument of the UCI Women’s WorldTour (1.WWT).
The Inception (2004)
The first edition took place on April 4, 2004. Unlike today’s start and finish in Oudenaarde, the inaugural race began in Oudenaarde but finished in Ninove, mirroring the final 55 km of the men’s route at the time.
- The First Winner: Zulfiya Zabirova (Kazakhstan) took a solo victory after attacking on the Muur van Geraardsbergen.
- Early Identity: The race was initially defined by the “Muur-Bosberg” finale, which remained the iconic finish until the course redesign in 2012.
Evolution and “The Oudenaarde Era”
In 2012, the race moved its finish line to Oudenaarde. This shift introduced the legendary combination of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg as the decisive final climbs—a change that significantly increased the race’s difficulty and prestige.
- Growth in Distance: The race has grown steadily in length and complexity:
- 2004: 94 km
- 2010: 119 km
- 2023: 156.6 km
- 2026: 164.1 km (the longest edition to date)
- WorldTour Status: In 2016, the race became part of the inaugural UCI Women’s WorldTour, cementing its status as one of the most important days on the cycling calendar.
Iconic Champions & Records
The history of the Women’s Ronde is a “Who’s Who” of cycling legends.
| Milestone | Rider(s) |
|---|---|
| Most Wins (3) | Lotte Kopecky (2022, 2023, 2025) |
| First Belgian Winner | Grace Verbeke (2010) |
| Repeat Winners | Mirjam Melchers (2005-06), Judith Arndt (2008, 2012), Annemiek van Vleuten (2011, 2021), Elisa Longo Borghini (2015, 2024) |
Modern Era: The Kopecky Dominance
Recent years have been defined by the rise of Belgian superstar Lotte Kopecky. Her win in 2022 was a cultural moment for Belgian cycling, ending a 12-year drought for the home nation. By winning again in 2023 and 2025, she became the first rider (male or female) in the modern era to truly “own” the race, holding the record for the most victories in the women’s event.
Key Historic Climbs
- The Muur van Geraardsbergen: The historical “holy site” of the race, though now usually featured earlier in the route rather than as the finish.
- The Koppenberg: Added to the women’s route in 2022, this brutal, cobbled climb (with gradients up to 22%) has become the spot where the decisive selections are often made.
