Ladies Mieke Docx spends the entire day in the early break of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

"One big mindf***," she calls it herself. With 126 kilometers still to go, Mieke Docx broke away with four other riders. It turned into a remarkable effort that only ended a few kilometers before the finish line. "I kept thinking, 'What is even happening here?!'", Docx said afterward. "You don’t fully realize it in the moment. Especially because I rarely find myself in such a situation. When Julie Stockman attacked, I followed her wheel, and suddenly, we were gone. It felt easy. But I never expected we’d stay ahead for so long."

Docx thoroughly enjoyed her time in the breakaway, especially as the race passed near her hometown of Oordegem. "I heard so many people shouting my name, it was unreal. Being able to race on my training roads like that was amazing."

Two riders from the breakaway made it to the finish. Docx, however, was caught by the peloton just a few kilometers before the end. "I’m super happy and super disappointed at the same time. On the Berendries climb, I started cramping in my calves. So I knew the Muur would be tough, even though I thought I could push through those last ten kilometers. But I was simply done. I could have finished in the top ten today. I’m really frustrated. I was so close."