Le Court rules on Quai des Ardennes
April 27 th 2025 - 18:21
A brilliant finish by Kim Le Court (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) saw her take an absolutely stunning debut victory in the ninth edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes on Sunday. The 29 year-old from Mauritius was in tears of joy after taking the biggest win of her career as she outpaced a strong group of Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), Demi Vollering (FDJ – Suez), Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) to the line. Pieterse in second and Vollering in third completed the podium, Kerbaol was a close fourth and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx – Protime) won a group sprint for fifth, 24 seconds adrift of the race winner.
Three late withdrawals
Debora Silvestri (Laboral Kutxa - Fundación Euskadi), Julie Vlyminck (DD Group Pro Cycling Team) and Chloé Dygert (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) finally did not take the start, meaning there were 137 riders on the road as racing got underway on the outskirts of Bastogne at 1.47pm local time.
Persico out and Kastelijn first on Saint-Roch
An early crash for Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) saw Persico abandon the race, whilst Lippert was able to continue and soon re-joined the peloton. Puck Pieterse's teammate Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) took the lead at the top of the day's first climb, the Côte de Saint-Roch (km 15.8 - 1 km at 11.2%), with the peloton remaining bunched together in the early running, despite some attacks in the opening kilometres.
Eight attackers
After 45 minutes of racing Victorie Guilman (Cofidis) and Constance Valentin (Winspace Orangel Seal) went on the attack with Tiril Jorgensen (Coop-Repsol), whilst Laura Molenaar (Volkerwessels) counterattacked behind them. Minke Solbjork Anderson (Uno-X Mobility), Fariba Hashimi (Ceratizit), Danielle De Francesco (Arkea-B&B Hotels) and Sylvie Swinkels (Roland) also broke away from the pack in a second counterattacking group.
The breakaway is established
At km 35.5, the distance covered after an hour of racing, the peloton was 2'15" behind the leading trio, 2' behind the first counterattack, and 1'40" behind the second chasing group. However, by km 45 the front eight had joined together in one lead group, enjoying a 3’45” advantage over the peloton. The team of 2021 and 2023 winner Demi Vollering, FDJ-Suez, led the peloton in chasing the breakaway, which was 2'10" ahead at the summit of Mont-le-Soie (km 59.7 - 1.7 km at 7.9%).
Breakaway disintegrates
As the race reached the Côte de Wanne (km 67.9 - 3.6 km at 5.1%) there was a split in the lead group, leaving Valentin, Jorgensen, Molenaar and Solbjork Anderson alone at the front. Valentin led on the Côte de Stockeu (km 74.5 - 1 km at 12.5%) whilst Molenaar and then Solbjork Anderson dropped back as the peloton closed in. After the Côte de la Haute-Levée (km 78.7 - 2.2 km at 7.5%) climb, which Valentin topped first, the bunch soon caught the remaining two breakaway riders.
Another attacker
Segolene Thomas (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93) led the pack over the summit of the day's sixth climb, Col du Rosier (km 92.9 - 4.4 km at 5.9%), and the peloton remained together as the final 60 km began. Soon after that Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) attacked alone and managed to build up a plus one minute lead, which had dropped to 30” the bunch by the time she reached the top of the Côte de Desnié (km 106.2 - 1.6 km at 8.1%).
Selection on la Redoute
Behind Squiban, Valentina Cavallar (Arkea-B&B Hotels) was counter-attacking and Elise Chabbey (FDJ - SUEZ) led the bunch – which had been reduced to 30 riders - on the Côte de Desnié. Cavallar’s counter-attack was short-lived as she was caught with 37.4 km to go, whilst Squiban was 35” up the road. On the Côte de la Redoute (km 119 - 1.6 km at 9.4%) the bunch caught Squiban, whilst several riders, including Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) were dropped.
Rooijakkers attacks and is followed
Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) attacked after la Redoute and was joined at the front by 2017 and 2018 winner Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx – Protime), along with Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto). They were 20" in front of a peloton led by Evita Muzic and Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez), with 27 km to go, ahead of the penultimate climb: the Côte des Forges (km 129.7 - 1.3 km at 7.8%).
On to Roche-aux-Faucons
The bunch came close to reeling in the leading quartet on the Forges climb, but the front four just made it to the top still in the lead and descended rapidly, opening up the gap again ahead of the final decisive Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons (km 139.6 - 1.3 km at 11%) difficulty. The favourites group soon caught the four former leaders on the Roche-aux-Faucons climb, with Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) attacking and followed by Demi Vollering (FDJ – Suez) and Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx – Protime), with Kerbaol able to stay with them.
Showdown on Quai des Ardennes
Kerbaol then attacked with 12km to go and was clear at the front for 3km, but Pieterse, Vollering and Kim Le Court (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) chased her down with 9km remaining. It was then all down to the sprint between the four on Quai des Ardennes, with Le Court timing her final acceleration perfectly for a memorable victory, whilst 24” behind Kopecky outsprinted the rest of the bunch for fifth.
