Liane Lippert and Juliette Labous animated the finale of De Brabantse Pijl before crossing the line in third and fifth after what was a tough race from the start thanks to an attacking field and tough weather conditions.

The race got underway on wet roads and in falling rain but that didn’t deter the attacks from coming thick and fast as moves failed to stick early in the race.

Around the midway point a strong break of 11 riders formed with Labous present, gaining nearly half a minute over the peloton. This piled on the pressure behind in the chase and after the catch came more attacks followed causing the decisive split of the race.

Two riders broke clear while Labous set off in pursuit behind, gradually clawing her way to less than 10 seconds off the back of the leaders. Further attacks from behind saw Lippert go clear marking the moves, bridging across to Labous but after Demi Vollering had gone clear, soloing to victory. Labous set a fast pace in pursuit but it was a race for second, with Lippert crossing in third and Labous fifth after a tough fight to the end.

Liane Lippert said after her podium duties: “From the beginning it was a really hectic race, like a real spring classic with a big fight. In the first 60 kilometres there were some big climbs but nothing super important to split the race. The girls did a really good job in covering attacks and positioning us ahead of the final local lap where the attacks started.

“It was a really good day for teamwork and Juliette had a super day today up in the break before then going solo after it came back. The race then exploded on the cobbled climb and from there I was able to bridge over to her. Once together we were focusing on the sprint and she did a really good job in keeping the pace high.

“Demi was super strong today so we were going for second place. We did everything we could to get on the podium. I wasn’t able to follow Kasia when she went early on the uphill finish. Still, it’s a really positive day for the team again and shows how strong everyone is so we can look forward to the races to come.”

Team DSM coach Albert Timmer added: “In general we did what we could today. we made one mistake when the main move went with Demi but otherwise we did a good race and everybody did their part so we can be happy and satisfied about today.”