Milano-Sanremo Donne 2025: Lorena Wiebes wins sprint battle to pip Marianne Vos to 98th win of her career

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Team SD Worx-ProTime put together a strong team performance to bring about a reduced bunch sprint finish, with LorenWiebes proving once again exhibiting sheer pace for a historic win in the first edition of the rejuvenated Milano-Sanremo Donne. Wiebes overpowered Marianne Vos, and was able to sprint after her team-mate Lotte Kopecky reeled in a late attack by Elisa Longo Borghini.

Highlights: Wiebes takes ‘one of the biggest wins of her career’ at Milano-Sanremo Donne

Video credit: TNT Sports

Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-ProTime) claimed the 98th victory in her career and became the first woman to win Milano-Sanremo since 2005 as a new chapter of the women’s version of the Monument opened on Saturday in Liguria.

Wiebes powered clear of Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the final sprint, after her team-mate and world champion Lotte Kopecky deployed her immense power to bring back an audacious late attack from Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) in the closing stages of the race.

The race was hard-fought throughout its 156km duration, with over 75km elapsing before a breakaway was finally established.

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When it came, it was composed of just three riders, and this quickly reduced to a lone leader in the shape of VolkerWessels Pro Cycling’s Anna Knijnenburg, who remained solo until the first of the day’s climbs approached.

The pressure increased over the Tre Capi, with several teams prominent and contributing to a high pace, and Knijnenburg was re-absorbed into the bunch with 50km remaining.

Heading toward the penultimate climb of the day, there were a couple of crashes in the bunch, one at the back and one near the front, impeding a number of riders and causing a split in the bunch as the race began its ascent of the Cipressa.

Wiebes ‘grateful’ for crucial Kopecky effort that set her up for Milano-Sanremo triumph

Video credit: TNT Sports

Despite early pressure from FDJ SUEZ on the race’s longest climb, an exceptional bit of race management by Lidl-Trek ensured the pace was managed to the benefit of the American team’s leader, sprinter Elisa Balsamo, and as a result, a large group passed the summit of the climb together.

It was on the descent, however, that the race lit up, with Visma-Lease a Bike’s Pauline Ferrand-Prevot deploying her expert bike-handling skills to move clear, drawing a group of around 10 riders with her.

The group contained Kopecky and Wiebes along with a third SD Worx teammate, Blanka Vas, and as such, co-operation quickly broke down, allowing a chasing group to catch the leaders.

Approaching the Poggio, around 35 riders were in contention for victory, and in the early stages of the climb, Canyon//SRAM came to the fore, with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig leading the charge with Kasia Niewiadoma on her wheel.

A kilometre later, Juliette Labous attacked for FDJ SUEZ, with Niewiadoma going with her – the pace had an impact with a number of riders dropped, but crucially, they were unable to drop the likes of Wiebes, Vos and Balsamo, who hung on over the summit onto the descent.

Demi Vollering (FDJ SUEZ) tried a late attack, going over the top of the Poggio, but it came too late to have any impact on the race, and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) led on the descent with Vollering and Longo Borghini close behind, and with 3.5km remaining, it was the Italian champion who launched a flying attack, gapping the rest of the group and going into the solo lead.

‘We executed perfectly’ – Kopecky ‘very satisfied’ with performance despite missing out on win

Video credit: TNT Sports

It was down to Kopecky to bring back her sprinter, Wiebes, a duty she took on with single-minded determination. She called upon her incredible power to close down Longo Borghini as they headed under the flamme rouge, dragging the group back into contention with just 200m remaining, to bring about a reduced bunch sprint finish.

The group comprised 12 riders, but it was Vos who launched her sprint early, with Wiebes hitting her stride immediately after, and surging past the veteran Dutch woman to take the 98th win of her career, and the first of this new era of the race known as ‘La Primavera’.

It was a stunning third place finish for EF Education-Oatly’s Noemi Ruegg, who overcame a huge number of pre-race favourites to claim her place on the podium.

Ferrand-Prevot was relegated from fourth position to 12th for a deviation in the final sprint that impeded Ruegg's progress, further emphasising the significance of the Swiss champion's achievement.

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