The fourth World Cup of the season saw a fast pace set on the early climbs of the race with several riders finding themselves dropped from the peloton, including the Côte de Bohissau, which saw several unsuccessful attacks.

Boels Dolmans, the team of 2014 World Cup winner Lizzie Armitstead of Britain, attempted to control the pace for their team leader, as the race approached their first ascent of the iconic Mur de Huy.

Team USA’s Lauren Komansky and Lizzie Williams Orica AIS were able to form a breakaway, but with the peloton upping the tempo of the race further as it approached the final stages the trio were caught with 30 kilometres remaining of the race.

However a more serious attack was established in the last 15km by Annemiek van Vleuten of Bigla Pro Cycling Team and Rabo-Liv’s Roxane Knetemann as the two women built an advantage of a minute over the chasing pack.

Knetemann’s teammates Van Der Breggen, Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, were among the five-woman chasing pack, with Van Der Breggen opting to take decisive action and bridge the gap to the two leaders.

The 25-year-old then took advantage of the final climb of the Mur de Huy to move clear of the duo, before finishing solo in 3 hours 18min 46sec to take the win and the overall lead in the series.

Van der Breggen’s victory continued Rabo-Liv’s excellent recent record at the race having seen Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot earn victories for the team at the 2013 and 2014 editions of the race.

Van Vleuten held on to finish 25 seconds adrift in second, while American Megan Guarnier completed the podium, posting a time of 3:19:06.

Related stories
April 2015:  Longo Borghini seals victory in Tour of Flanders Women's Cycling Road World Cup race
March 2015:  Armitstead takes Women's Road World Cup lead after winning Trofeo Alfredo Binda
March 2015:  The Sufferest renew sponsorship deal for UCI Women's Road World Cup
March 2015:  Birthday delight for D'Hoore as she sprints to opening UCI Women's Road World Cup victory