Highlights: Flèche Wallonne 2025 - Women

Shireen Van Anrooij looks across down on the banks of the river. The bad weather of earlier on today has abated. The sunshine is almost coming out as this small group of riders, what do we think, 20 odd riders in this group. Nelisa Longoborghini just at the back. More riders moving up on the right-hand side. In here for Picnic Post NL there's at least one rider, the possible winner of today and Lotte Capecchi is still there as world champion, still looking strong and getting ready to make an assault on the Nieuwe de Wee. 2.1 kilometers to go Hannah, we're nearly there. We're nearly there, watch out for the jerseys, the riders with the burnt orange jerseys because don't forget Annemiek van Vleuten is now a part of Fenix Deceuninck. She can give all of her knowledge, all of her experience to the riders in the team. Rojak is right on the back of the group as these riders make their way onto the Nieuwe de Wee for the final time. 31 kilometers an hour, everybody looking around at each other. It is a waiting game as Elisa Longoborghini said before the race start, it's a waiting game but it's not something I'm very good at. She moves up on the wheel of her teammate, Kasia Niewiadoma is there, tucked in on the hip of Pukapica, Liana Lippert is there but Niewiadoma now moves up onto the wheel of Damie Vollering. She's just biding her time at the moment, also there is Aline Janssen, the young Dutch rider and as Juliette Labousse, the French champion who is setting the pace and protecting Damie Vollering, who looks so composed and so focused. You take a look now, the world champion Lotta Capecchi just starts to lose a few bike lengths, Marion Bounel is at the back of this group number 51, she's got a lot of work to do and so has Monica Trincu- Colonel in this purple jersey. So Damie Vollering second wheel, on her wheel, Kasia Niewiadoma, behind her Elisa Longoborghini, Pukapica, Gaia Rialini, Liana Lippert, this is the front of the race now as things start to stretch. Magdalene Valerius-Mill is going backwards, Juliette Labousse sets the tempo now for Damie Vollering into the most important part of the Mur de Huy. It's patience, biding your time, it really is a virtue. When you've got someone like Juliette Labousse who can help you and fully commit here, Damie Vollering is in prime position and right now they're creeping and edging closer and closer, they're just riding to their own tempo. They're going to get to this section here on the Virage Claude Curriculum where it's going to reach gradients of 26% and they take the outside line, that's exactly where you want to be and you can see Pukapica uses the far outside line and that is the ideal place to be right now. Look at how much she's able to make up there, half a bike length and that's put her right onto the wheel of Damie Vollering. Right on the wheel behind is Kasia Niewiadoma and waiting is Liana Lippert. Watch out there for Vollering still leads, she still sets the tempo, who is going to explode out of this pack? Niewiadoma looks like she's under a little bit of pressure now. Vollering still continues with this relentless pace towards the top of the climb but she hasn't accelerated yet. The punch of Pukapica awaits as she waits to launch this big sprint for the line. They're almost there and no one has attacked yet. Vollering has just ridden the tempo, Niewiadoma is getting distanced a little bit, she's starting to struggle and Pukapica still matches her. Looks like Longoborghini's going backwards and here goes Pukapica, big acceleration as she goes for the line now. It's going to be a race between two riders, Vollering and Pukapica. Vollering refuses to give in inside the final 100 meters. Pukapica accelerates away now for Fenix Deceuninck, she's going to beat Demi Vollering to the line. What a move by Pukapica, it's a win for Fenix Deceuninck. Pukapica wins Fleche Wallonne. Wow wow wow, having a rider like Annemiek van Vleuten on your team and on your side can do and then you add that to the fact that this rider is formidable. She is formidable, she's one of the best cyclocross riders in the world, one of the best mountain bikers in the world. It's where she put in that attack, so you've got 150 meters to go, she's gone through that marker and then immediately an attack. At one point I thought she was a little bit undergeared, she clicked it down and this is where she really starts to get the leverage and Vollering has to get out of the saddle, she sits down. Again she's got a very high cadence and it just means that Pukapica here can pull away. There's a difference in the gear selection but also I think that Pukapica, so she had that momentum.