Antwerp's women race on Sint-Annastrand, the riverside beach on the Linkeroever, where the long sand sections reward riders who keep the bike moving through soft ground and punish anyone who loses momentum. A women's race has been held since the first Scheldecross in 2006, won by Kathy Ingels. Sanne Cant won four in a row from 2014 to 2017, and Fem van Empel won the first three World Cup editions, the 2023 race in the rainbow jersey after an attack on the fourth lap left Lucinda Brand and Puck Pieterse behind. Brand finally won here in 2025, after a long duel with Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado that she settled by two seconds close to the line. The race opens the Christmas run of Belgian rounds, and its sand gives an early read on who will carry form into the holidays.