After two sprint stages, the Renewi Tour tackled its queen stage in and around Geraardsbergen. On the iconic cobbled Vesten climb, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) outpowered Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) in a thrilling finale. The Belgian champion Tim Wellens finished third.
The race came to life early as the GC contenders took control in the hilly zone. Van der Poel attacked with 100 km to go, and Wellens made several attempts to break clear. Eventually, a select trio of Van der Poel, De Lie and Wellens escaped after the Bosberg.
Van der Poel tried to go solo on the final ascent of the Bosberg, but the others managed to return. With three riders left, the stage was set for a dramatic finish on the Vesten.
De Lie launched a long sprint on the cobbles, but Van der Poel clawed his way back and surged past in the closing metres. Wellens had to settle for third.
In the general classification, Arnaud De Lie moves into the overall lead, one second ahead of Van der Poel.
Winner Mathieu van der Poel said:
“On a finish like this you know it will hurt. Arnaud made it a long sprint, but I just had enough left to get past him. This is exactly the kind of effort I need to sharpen my form for the coming weeks.”
