RESILIENT MAIKE REWARDED WITH BALOISE PODIUM

In a reversal of roles from the previous day, it was Maike van der Duin who led home CANYON//SRAM on stage 2 of the Baloise Ladies Tour, surfing the wheel of a high-speed Zoe Bäckstedt to claim her first podium finish in exactly 790 days.

The 24-year-old Dutchwoman has endured an incredibly difficult and turbulent period, even before that third-place finish at the Vuelta a Burgos in May 2024. Serious health issues derailed her ambitions throughout 2025, stripping away the fitness she had worked hard to rebuild and forcing her to the sidelines for more than nine months.

Friday’s 129.5km stage served up a quintessential slice of Flanders-style racing, featuring punchy bergs, cobbled sectors and narrow Flemish roads before concluding with 30km of flat, fast finishing circuits. It was the perfect setting for Maike to reach a significant milestone in a very long road back, reminding everyone why she’s a Gent-Wevelgem podium finisher when at full fitness.

With around 300m remaining, race leader Zoe launched hard from the front of a strung-out peloton. Maike immediately latched onto her wheel before coming around in the closing metres to secure third place behind fellow Dutch speedsters Kool (FPC) and Veenhoven (TVL).

Once the disappointment of missing victory gave way to perspective, Maike reflected on a very emotional return to the pointy end of a race.

“To be fair, it was not really the plan and I was a bit boxed in, but Zoe went really early, I think to be out of the chaos. Because she went so early, a gap opened and the speed was so high that I followed her in case she couldn’t hold on. I told her to continue and I also gave everything until the finish.

It worked out well in the end, but it’s a bit emotional because I’ve come from a really low point, so this is a nice reward for the last year. I was thinking that I couldn’t do this sport anymore.”

Maike also spoke about the steady progress she’s made recently.

“I’ve already felt really good in the last months, and every week I’m getting a little better. I was on a kind-of training camp last week in Spain, and I’ve felt really good from that, but it’s also hasn’t been very often that I’ve gotten opportunities this year. So, if there’s an opportunity that I’m allowed to take, and I can then sprint in this way, then it’s really nice.”

After starting the day in the race leader’s jersey and rolling the dice with a long-range sprint, Zoe crossed the line in sixth, slipping to second overall, five seconds behind stage winner Kool. She now retains only the youth classification jersey heading into Saturday’s decisive double-header.

The morning begins with an 8.3km flat time trial of moderate technicality before riders return a few hours later for a 106km road stage raced over four largely flat, snaking laps. By the evening, fatigue will be a major factor, placing an even greater premium on sharp legs and smart decisions.

It’s a pivotal day in Zoe’s bid to reclaim the Baloise Ladies Tour title. Memorably, it was across these very same back-to-back stages in 2025 that she claimed two victories within the space of just a few hours.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Stage 3a | Sat, July 18 | Maaseik | 8.3km (TT) | 13m | from 11:00 CET | Live 12:15.

Stage 3b | Sat, July 18 | Maaseik | 106km | 267m | 17:00 CET | Live 18:00.

Stage 4 | Sun, July 19 | Mechelen | 111.8km | 232m | 14:00 CET | Live 15:00.