Kortrijk Koerse: Van Rooijen doubles his lead and beats Kool in a sprint finish in the Flemish rain

Sofie Van Rooijen never disappoints on the Flemish roads. The UAE Development Team L'IMAD athlete outsprinted Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) to win the Konvert Kortrijk Koerse , while Kathrin Schweinberger (Human Powered Health) completed a remarkable podium finish, finishing from a tight group.

This isn't the first time Van Rooijen has excelled on these tracks : she did so in 2024, beating Chiara Consonni (UAE Development) and Daria Pikulik (Human Powered Health). A victory that confirms how this race has become almost a second home for her.

This time, however, there was also time to celebrate with arms raised under a leaden sky and pouring rain that made the roads even more treacherous. For Van Rooijen, it was her first victory in ten months: a return to a success that fantasy football managers should mark in red, because when this rider finds the right form, she can be devastating in tight sprints.

A classy Friday attracted six WorldTour teams, all present in Belgium for a trio of road races on the Flemish roads, of which this was the final act. Kool, it should be remembered, had already won the GP Lucien Van Impe the day before, demonstrating impressive form heading into this final stretch of the season.

For Schweinberger, third place in the rain and on the cobblestones represents true redemption after her forced retirement the previous day, when she crashed badly. It's a sign of character that should be kept an eye on in fantasy cycling: those who can bounce back so quickly often provide surprises in subsequent races.

Now in its fifth edition, this UCI 1.1 race started and finished in Kortrijk, unfolding over a flat 127.6km course with two long loops south of the city before concluding with six 9km circuits. Two climbs on the cobbled Beerbosstraat sector in the opening laps added a touch of difficulty, but with just 842 meters of total elevation gain, the race seemed designed for pure sprinters from the start.

On the tactical front, a pair of breakaway riders livened up the day: Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) and Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) built a lead, reaching the final circuits. But the flat terrain allowed the peloton to regroup, and on the final lap, the WorldTour teams deployed their teams to prepare for the bunch sprint.

Once again, however, it was a Continental-level team that stole the show : the UAE Development Team, capable of placing Van Rooijen ahead of the rest at the decisive moment. A detail that discerning fantasy managers should consider when evaluating riders from smaller but well-organized teams: in these smaller races, the right lineup can make the difference even against higher-class teams.