Kim Le Court continues to write history

Kim Le Court continues to write history

Mauritius National Champion Kim Le Court delivered another superb result after a great display in one of the hardest races of the calendar, the 169km Ronde van Vlaanderen. The 29-year-old, who is in her second World Tour season, took a well-deserved top ten Sunday afternoon, finishing this 22nd edition in fifth place, an achievement made even more remarkable by the fact it came after her just second appearance at the Flemish Monument.

Her top five in Oudenaarde – where she outsprinted all the other riders in the chasing group that concluded around one minute behind winner Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) – was obtained just two weeks after she scored the same result in Milano-Sanremo, the season’s first Monument.

“The team put all their belief in me and I too believed in my chances of getting a good result, so I’m proud of what I did today. I’m still learning and gaining experience in these races, which was obvious on the climbs when it came to positioning, but taking this into account and the fact it’s just my second pro season, I think I can be happy with this top five. I am confident I can still progress and I’m looking forward to returning here one day and fighting for a podium”, Kim said at the finish.

Nicole Steigenga was another AG Insurance – Soudal rider who produced a convincing ride on the roads of Flanders, attacking from the moment the race got underway and pushing hard together with six other riders until they formed a breakaway group whose maximum advantage reached seven minutes. The 27-year-old Dutch, who just a couple of weeks ago finished a solid seventh in Nokere Koerse, zipped away from her companions with 52 kilometers to go and managed to remain off the front after the gruelling Koppenberg, only a joint effort of several teams bringing her back in the last 40 kilometers of the race.

“My goal was to be in the early break and I did that after a fast start. I didn’t feel that strong in the beginning, but seeing how many riders dropped I realised that I was actually strong. The plan was to survive the breakaway, which I did, and then to help Kim, but I couldn’t do that because I was cramping. Despite this, it was a nice experience to be at the front today and hear my name from the fans who kept cheering me”, a happy Nicole said in Oudenaarde.