Sanne van Paassen (Brainwash) picked up her first-ever cobblestone trophy by winning the Koppenbergcross on Tuesday afternoon. “I’m really happy that I could win here as it is a great race and a famous hill. I’m proud to be holding this cobble,” Van Paassen said. British women Helen Wyman (Kona) and Nikki Harris (Telenet-Fidea) flanked the in-form Dutch ace on the podium. The race was the first round of the Gazet van Antwerpen Trophy, of which Van Paassen is the first leader.

On a dry course, Van Paassen powered away from last year’s winner, British champion Helen Wyman (Kona) near the top of the Koppenberg during the third of six laps. Van Paassen went on to win by 23 seconds ahead of Wyman and almost a minute ahead of Nikki Harris (Telenet-Fidea). “I think I’m a bit more explosive now and have some more accelerations than Helen [Wyman]. Last year I wasn’t that good yet,” Van Paassen said. Read the full report at Cyclingnews.