What a breathtaking finale to the Renewi Tour! For much of the day it looked like Mathieu van der Poel would claim overall victory, but in the closing metres it was Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) who launched a devastating sprint. The Belgian not only won the stage in Leuven but also secured the overall title.
A race full of tension
The rolling circuit around Leuven was always going to test the riders. On the penultimate ascent of the Wijnpers, Van der Poel attacked powerfully, joined by Tim Wellens, while De Lie appeared unable to follow. With bonus seconds collected in the Green Kilometer, Van der Poel moved into the virtual race lead.
Yet the peloton, led by Groupama–FDJ and Picnic–PostNL, never let the front group go too far, keeping the race within reach.
The thrilling finale
With 1 km to go, Dries De Bondt tried a late solo move, while Tibor Del Grosso delivered the perfect lead-out for Van der Poel. Everything pointed to a Dutch triumph.
But suddenly, from deep in the bunch, Arnaud De Lie exploded down the right side of the road. His powerful surge carried him past De Bondt, past Van der Poel, and straight to both stage glory and the overall crown.
An emotional Arnaud De Lie:
“With 500 metres to go, nobody believed in me anymore. I didn’t feel great during the stage, but I gambled everything on the sprint. Winning a stage was already a big goal, but to also take the GC – that’s a dream come true.”
A gracious Mathieu van der Poel:
“I wanted to make the race as hard as possible, and it worked. I thought I had it, but Arnaud was simply stronger in the sprint. He deserves it, especially after a tough period. For me, this was excellent preparation towards the MTB Worlds.”
