The Belgian was the pre-race favourite at the Dutch venue, having secured the International Cycling Union World Cup title last weekend.

She would go head-to-head with the United States' Katie Compton throughout the duration of the race.

Having led during the first two laps, Cant found herself on the back-foot when Compton surged through to lead by eight seconds heading into the penultimate lap.

The 27-year-old responded to the challenge in impressive fashion, as she closed on her rival to leave the title up for grabs heading towards the finale of the race.

Cant was eventually able to break the challenge of her rival, as the Belgian came through to triumph in a time of 49min 34sec.

Compton dropped into second place, with the 39-year-old falling to 12 seconds behind the winner at the finish.

The podium was completed by Lucinda Brand, with the Dutch rider ending in exactly 50 minutes.

Britain enjoyed success in the age group competitions, with Evie Richards winning the women's under-23 race for the second straight year.

Richards pulled away to claim a solo victory in a time of 37:52, with her nearest challenger Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado of The Netherlands ending 38 seconds adrift.

Austria's Nadja Heigl won bronze at 1:04 down.

Britain's Ben Tulett triumphed in the men's junior race, bettering his brother Dan's silver medal last year.

Tulett earned a 10 second lead in the final lap of the race, before holding off his rivals to end in 41:19.

Czech Republic's Tomas Kopecky won silver at 22 seconds down, while Dutch rider Ryan Kamp was a further eight seconds back to take bronze.

The men's under-23 and elite races will take place tomorrow.