Results Superprestige Ruddervorde 2025 Women | Fem van Empel beaten! Marion Norbert Riberolle takes victory for Belgium

Marion Norbert Riberolle has taken victory at Superprestige Ruddervorde 2025, taking one of the biggest wins of her career and ruining the return to the field for world champion Fem van Empel.

Amandine Fouquenet, France’s national champion, made the fastest start, leading through the opening corners, while Lucinda Brand, winner in Essen the previous day, skipped this round to manage her racing load.

Early on, Leonie Bentveld and Manon Bakker stretched the field, with Van Empel briefly back in sixth before recovering through the sand. The world champion’s smooth technique helped her move past Aniek van Alphen and rejoin the leaders.

Behind, Belgium’s Norbert Riberolle and Laura Verdonschot had slower starts, while Denise Betsema, twice a winner in Ruddervoorde, lost time after an early bike change.

By mid-race, eight riders formed the leading group: Van Empel, Inge van der Heijden, Van Alphen, Bentveld, Sara Casasola, Hélène Clauzel, Fouquenet and Riberolle. The tempo rose and fell as Riberolle tried a brief attack before Casasola and Bentveld countered, forcing Van Empel to chase.

Each time through the sand section, the world champion looked the strongest, choosing cleaner lines and regaining ground with ease. With two laps to go, her consistency told — a Dutch trio of Van Empel, Bentveld and Van der Heijden broke clear, hinting that the podium would come from within their group.

That assumption didn’t last. At the start of the penultimate lap, Riberolle attacked again on the cobbles by the finish line, opening a lead of around ten seconds as the others hesitated. Van Empel briefly drifted to the back of the group, while Fouquenet, surprisingly, was the most active in the chase.

Riberolle, however, looked flawless. Her handling through the sand was composed, her rhythm relentless. The Belgian champion continued to gain ground, with her Crelan teammates Van der Heijden and Casasola now behind in the chasing group — able to disrupt the pursuit and protect her gap.

As she cleared the barriers cleanly and flew through the final sand section, victory looked ever closer. Unless the chasers launched a sprint from distance, it seemed all but certain that Riberolle was on course for her first major Superprestige win — and the first Belgian victory in Ruddervoorde in ten editions.