Justine Ghekiere finishes fifth in GP de Wallonie

On Wednesday, September 18th, the third edition of the GP de Wallonie took place, with the riders of AG Insurance – Soudal starting with strong ambitions. Over the course of 139.4 kilometers, the peloton crossed the provinces of Liège, Luxembourg, and Namur, facing several challenging climbs, including the Côte de Trasenster. The race concluded at the iconic Citadelle de Namur.

After a tough race, in which AG Insurance – Soudal worked well as a team, around 25 riders were left to contest the final sprint. Justine Ghekiere positioned herself excellently on the final climb, staying with the top favorites, and sprinted to a strong fifth place. The victory went to Karlijn Swinkels.

“I’m actually really satisfied. On the climbs, I was able to follow well, and I never really felt like I was at my limit. Once I knew we were down to a group of 20 to 25 riders, I realized it would be tough in the sprint. I’m not a sprinter, and the pace was already high, especially with Realini pushing the tempo. If I had attacked, they would have all been right on my wheel. So, this is the best possible result I could achieve. Of course, I hope to win this race one day because I feel it's within my reach. The field was really strong today, and breaking away solo would have been impossible with such strong teams. I think this was the best result I could get today. Now, I’ll keep training in the Ardennes as I prepare for the World Championships”, said a happy Justine after the race.