“My mechanic said he’d take me to the Lego store and I could buy anything if I won” – 19-year-old Brit Carys Lloyd stuns Wiebes and Balsamo in Brugge breakthrough
Cycling
Carys Lloyd struggled to process what she had just done. In a race built for the fastest sprinters in the world, the 19-year-old Brit delivered the biggest win of her career at the Ronde van Brugge Women 2026, catching the favourites off guard in a chaotic sprint finish.
The Movistar rider had not been among the headline names pre-race, but in a finale dominated by confusion and disrupted lead-outs, Lloyd seized her moment against a field that included the likes of Lorena Wiebes and Elisa Balsamo. Reflecting afterwards, even she admitted the result had not fully sunk in.
“We spoke about it on the bus as a bit of a joke. My mechanic said he’d take me to the Lego store, and I could buy anything if I won. Then I crossed the line and thought, ‘Oh my God, I actually won,’” she said in her post-race interview.
“Everyone for themselves” in decisive sprint
The race had long been pointing towards a bunch sprint, with every breakaway attempt shut down and the major teams controlling proceedings into Bruges. But when it mattered most, that control broke down in the final kilometre.
“With about 500 metres to go, I think all the sprinters were left without lead-outs, so it was kind of just everyone for themselves,” Lloyd explained. “I saw 200 metres to go and just thought, ‘Okay, I have to go for it and see what happens.’ And yeah, it worked.”
That split-second decision proved decisive. While Balsamo came through for second and Nienke Veenhoven completed the podium, pre-race favourite Wiebes was left down in ninth after being unable to launch a clean sprint.
Lloyd’s breakthrough victory now comes with a light-hearted reward attached, though she hinted she may take full advantage of it. “We’ll have to see, but maybe the most expensive thing I can find. Maybe try to make him as broke as possible.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
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- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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