Kim Le Court Powers to Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes Victory

The Mauritian rider, a former stage winner at the Giro d’Italia, launched her sprint early and managed to hold off her more experienced rivals on the finishing straight. Vollering and Pieterse could not close the gap as Le Court punched the air in delight, celebrating a remarkable and unexpected triumph.

The win came after a determined fightback. Le Court had found herself in the second group as the attacks ignited on the closing climbs – Côte de la Redoute, Côte des Forges, and Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons – but battled her way back into contention. After the race, the 29-year-old revealed just how much the victory meant.

“To be honest when I bridged the gap on Roche-aux-Faucons I really felt strong compared to the others,” Le Court said. “When I bridged to them I saw they were really suffering, of course I was suffering too but for me to make that effort to bridge to them I knew I had maybe a bit more legs. Of course there was the effort to bridge to Cédrine Kerbaol first, she’s such a good rider. I just kicked and never looked back in the sprint. I could see Puck’s jersey but I just didn’t stop.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Flèche et LBL (@classiquesardennes)

Pieterse took second, with Vollering settling for third. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) crossed the line in fifth, 24 seconds down on Le Court.

The day’s racing came to life on the Côte de la Redoute, where Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Kerbaol, Pauliene Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), and Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto) broke clear, gaining a 14-second advantage. With FDJ-Suez having missed the move, Elise Chabbey worked hard in the chase group to bring the breakaway back under pressure.

As the race reached the Côte des Forges, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) attempted several attacks to bridge across but couldn’t break free. Kerbaol continued to drive the pace in the breakaway, with the leaders’ gap stretching to nearly 30 seconds before the final test: the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

On the final climb, Van der Breggen attacked again, shaking off Rooijakkers and Niedermaier, but only Kerbaol could respond. However, their effort was short-lived as the chasing group, powered by Chabbey and Pieterse, reeled them in.

In the final kilometres, Vollering, Pieterse, Kopecky, and Kerbaol broke clear. Kopecky led them over the summit, but Kerbaol seized the moment on the descent, launching a daring solo move. Her effort briefly saw her hold a 12-second lead before the group behind, bolstered by the arrival of our very own Kasia Niewiadoma and Kim Le Court, reeled her back in.

Le Court added fresh impetus to the chase and as the leaders entered the streets of Liège, she unleashed a perfectly timed sprint, powering away to claim the biggest win of her career.