<\/p>\n
It was a dramatic and unexpected victory. Bredewold\u2019s time at the opening checkpoint wasn\u2019t recorded by the KNWU’s timing system, leaving many unsure of her standing in the early phase of the race. But by the second intermediate split, she had announced herself as a serious contender \u2014 holding an 11-second advantage over Markus and a further seven seconds on Nooijen after nearly 16 kilometres of racing.<\/p>\n
With several big names still on the course, the finale was set for a tense conclusion. Ellen van Dijk was the first of the major contenders to reach the line, but her time was 13 seconds adrift of a strong ride by Shirin van Anrooij. Then came Bredewold, who blew the competition away \u2014 clocking a time 35 seconds faster than Van Anrooij to take provisional top spot.<\/p>\n
All eyes turned to Markus, the defending champion and overwhelming favourite. But despite a solid ride, she fell just nine seconds short of Bredewold\u2019s benchmark, surrendering her title to the rising SD Worx-Protime star. It marks a major step forward in Bredewold\u2019s career and a signal of her growing strength in the time trial discipline \u2014 especially given this was her first individual test of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n
Men’s Race<\/p>\n
The leaderboard soon began to fill with notable names. Tim van Dijke (Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013hansgrohe), Jelte Krijnsen (Jayco AlUla), and the Picnic\u2013PostNL duo of Nils Eekhoff and Enzo Leijnse all slotted into the top five during the middle phase of the event, while knowing full well that the big favourites were still to come.<\/p>\n