Published on : 08/18/2026
The seventh round of the Lotto Belgium Cup Women took place this Tuesday around Zottegem, Belgium. On a hilly 131.5-kilometre course, defending champion Martina Alzini finished 13th after an eventful day for Team Cofidis.
On a rolling course featuring a few cobbled sections, the race quickly came to life. Three riders went clear around the halfway point, before a group of eight riders formed in pursuit.
The peloton eventually came back together with around 30 kilometres to go, and everything seemed to be heading towards a bunch sprint. But with just two kilometres remaining, another attack went clear and a small group broke away to fight for the win.
Behind, Martina Alzini won the bunch sprint to finish 13th in the Egmont Cycling Race, one year after taking victory here.
Reaction:
Arthur Quilliec, Sports Director:
“We weren’t very lucky today, with several crashes and bike changes forcing us to adapt our plan throughout the race. We initially planned to sprint with Valentine Fortin, but she was caught behind a crash just as the race was starting to split up and lost contact with the front group.
In the final lap, we still had Martina Alzini and Nadia Quagliotto in the front group. With three kilometres to go, they were caught on the wrong side of a small split and we weren’t able to close the gap to fight for the win. Martina eventually finished 13th after winning the bunch sprint.
The result is obviously a little disappointing, but the team adapted well to everything that happened during the day. We still have two more days of racing in Belgium to go and chase some good results.”