At the start of the 200 kilometer-long race strong winds in the Moeren meant the group’s chances were slim Söderqvist managed to break away with seven others before another group of seven riders attacked from the shattered peloton the two groups merged to form a 15-rider breakaway including Söderqvist and Theuns but the peloton was following at less than a minute but thanks to a powerful effort from Söderqvist Theuns went early and managed to stay in front all the way to the finish line https://twitter.com/LidlTrek/status/1903123281244295379 https://twitter.com/LidlTrek/status/1903117660113559886 I haven’t won since my son was born and he asks me a lot of times when I come back from the race ‘Daddy I love to do the lead outs for Milan and that’s my place and he’s one of the best sprinters in the world But when your own son is saying ‘Why didn’t you win?’ it hurts a little bit I told him last week it will come one day and today I had unbelievable legs and I could win after a long time without a victory I really have to thank everybody who supported me the whole team and especially my girlfriend and my son It’s not always easy to live together with a cyclist 'In the Middle of Lidl-Trek' is here to complement our 'All Access' videos and give you even more behind-the-scenes action Luke Lamperti (Soudal-QuickStep) and Aime De Gendt (Cofidis) lead the large breakaway group Podium at 2025 Breden Koksijde Classic (L to R): Luke Lamperti of Soudal-QuickStep on second place race winner Edward Theuns of Lidl-Trek and Nils Eekhoff of Team Picnic PostNL on third place Lidl-Trek rider earns win from sprint in breakaway group of 15 riders as peloton closes in final metres Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) scored a victory from the breakaway at the Bredene Koksijde Classic winning in the finishing sprint as the move – which went clear 100km from the finish – just about held on to the line With the peloton finally closing in on the attackers in the closing metres of the race Theuns launched a long sprint with Luke Lamperti (Soudal-QuickStep) and Nils Eekhoff (Picnic-PostNL) on his wheel He had enough to hold off his two competitors with Lamperti and Eekhoff filling out the remainder of the podium places I haven’t won since my son is born and he asks me a lot of times when I come back from the race ‘Daddy did you win?’ and it hurts,” Theuns said after the race “I love to do the lead outs for Milan and that’s my place and he’s one of the best sprinters in the world But when your own son is saying ‘Why didn’t you win?’ it hurts a little bit “I told him last week it will come one day and today I had unbelievable legs It’s not always easy to live together with a cyclist but moments like these make it worth it.” The flat start to the 201km race brought with it high winds The big attacks of the day would come on the ‘hill zone’ comprising of two ascents of the Baneberg and Kemmelberg and one of the Monteberg The five ascents came packed into a short circuit after 73km of racing and would bring attack after attack at the front of the race Attacks from Erik Resell (Uno-X Mobility) and Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) instigated the main move of the day heading towards the Baneberg including Vito Braet (Intermarché-Wanty) Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) and Robbe Ghys (Alpecin-Deceuninck) went along Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) Upon finishing the second ascent of the Kemmelberg and exiting the ‘hill zone’ with the peloton trailing around 20 second back though it would take another 40km before the two break groups merged and Arkéa-B&B Hotels worked at the front having missed the moves The gap to the enlarged leading group of 15 men came down very gradually but the riders out front kept on battling despite Uno-X and Tudor joining in the work behind with Söderqvist having put in a mountain of work on the front to help Theuns The catch was close to being made inside the final kilometre both peloton and break finished on the same time but the breakaway riders won out as the fastmen prevailed Theuns proved the quickest in the dash to the line after a hectic day out by the North Sea coast He held off Lamperti and Eekhoff in the sprint for his first UCI win since 2021 while Vernon and Braet rounded out the top five Results powered by FirstCycling Dani has reported from the world's top races She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia you will then be prompted to enter your display name A young team will be at the start this Friday The 22nd edition of the Bredene Koksijde Classic has all the ingredients of a Belgian one-day race: climbs and narrow roads which all promise to spice up the day and give the attackers a chance to foil the sprinters’ plans The 200km course features two ascents of the iconic Kemmelberg although given that the last ascent is tackled around 100 kilometers from the line there’s a strong possibility for things to come back together the wind could cause chaos on Friday and turn everything into an attritional race our team will take on this race with a young and motivated team Andrea Raccagni and Warre Vangheluwe will be joined by two riders from our feeder squad – Federico Savino and Gauthier Servranckx – on the six-man Soudal Quick-Step roster for the Wolfpack’s final outing of the week on Belgian soil “We start with six riders and we are determined to leave everything out there The hills on the course could play a role in the outcome but the wind is the one that could end up being crucial on Friday which is famous for its crosswinds and where the race could split where there is a possibility for a regrouping and a bunch sprint although it remains to be seen how big that group will be” Photo credit: ©Billy Ceusters / Getty Images to know how many times a particular page is read We only use this information to improve the content of our website These cookies are only placed after you have given your consent In the seaside resort of Bredene (West Flanders) walkers had the awesome experience of encountering a beaver on the beach The animal was seen on the beach and swimming in shallow water as the animal is not used to swimming in salt water and was taken to a nearby animal shelter in Ostend ‘It is very exceptional for a beaver to wash up on the beach,’ Claude Velter of the Ostend bird sanctuary told VRT News "No living beaver has ever been found on the beach although dead beavers have been encountered before Beavers are not common in West Flanders Province anyway and certainly not on the coast It is still a young animal; it may have got lost and ended up in Bredene via the port of Ostend." The fire brigade caught the animal and took it to the animal shelter 'That was not a difficult task as it was hugely weakened it was very dehydrated because beavers usually swim around in fresh water 'The male beaver is already eating and drinking well We will only know for sure in three days’ time whether it will make it Source : www.uci.org © DirectVelo - Tous droits réservés. Mentions légales - CGV Vous pouvez aussi consulter du contenu spécifique à la FranceBelgique : - 2025 Bredene Koksijde Classic Live Online Coverage Guide -   Bredene Koksijde Classic LIVE - Click for high resolution -  Notes:  (latest notes always appear at the top)   Cyclingfans LIVE on Twitter - LIVE Saturday:  Don't miss the season's first monument, Milan-San Remo LIVE - Expected LIVE video here and here.  (Sporza - Need a VPN to access a geo-restricted feed? Try ExpressVPN - Videos: Bredene Koksijde Classic Videos - Photos: Bredene Koksijde Classic Photos - This page will be updated throughout the race - Results: Bredene Koksijde Classic Results (coming) - Official Start List here - 2025 Bredene Koksijde Classic schedule/times: 7:20am ET Finish at 16:35 CET 11:35am ET ------------------------------ * Daylight saving time USA on Sunday - Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-Samsic) won the 2024 Bredene Koksijde Classic - The 2025 Bredene Koksijde Classic is being held Friday - This race was formerly known as the Handzame Classic - We will update here with the best and latest live feeds at broadcast time - Welcome to our live coverage guide for the 2025 Bredene Koksijde Classic (en direct) 2025 Bredene Koksijde Classic LIVE March 21, Belgium Official Website Start List Race starts at 12:20pm CET (7:20am U.S Finish at around 4:35pm CET (11:35am U.S Live video from 2:15pm CET (9:15am U.S  Handzame Weather Live video streaming: (Eurosport live stream) (-- CET) (-- U.S (Sporza livestream) (--) (--) Alternative Alternative   (--) (Listen online) (cycling news) Yahoo photo gallery (AP/AFP) Copyright © 2025 www.cyclingfans.com Pascal Ackermann (BORA-hansgrohe) won the 2019 Bredene Koksijde Classic. There was no race in 2020 due to Covid-19. - Click for high resolution - more Bredene Koksijde Classic Photos - photo Copyright © 2019 Cor Vos/cyclingfans.com Notes from the 2024 Bredene Koksijde Classic - Expected LIVE video here and here.  (Sporza - 2024 Bredene Koksijde Classic schedule/times: 7:20am ET Finish at 16:30 CET 11:30am ET ------------------------------ - Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) won the 2023 Bredene Koksijde Classic - The 2024 Bredene Koksijde Classic is being held Friday Notes from the 2023 Bredene Koksijde Classic - Expected LIVE video here and here.  (Sporza - 2023 Bredene Koksijde Classic schedule/times: 7:10am ET Finish at 16:35 CET March 26th 5 hours behind CET - US Eastern - Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) won the 2022 Bredene Koksijde Classic - The 2023 Bredene Koksijde Classic is being held Friday Notes from the 2022 Bredene Koksijde Classic - Expected LIVE video here.  (Sporza - Team DSM roster for the 2022 Bredene Koksijde Classic: Cees Bol (NED)
 Leon Heinschke (GER)
 Jonas Iversby Hvideberg (NOR)
 Niklas Märkl (GER)
 Pepijn Reinderink (NED) Sam Welsford (AUS)
 Hannes Wilksch (GER) Team DSM coach: "The route of Bredene Koksijde takes place along the Belgian coastal area where the wind can play a big part in the outcome of the day There are a lot of open sections where the bunch is really vulnerable to echelons if the wind is strong while in the middle of the race we take on the famous Kemmelberg - all of which should make for an exciting day of racing The key for us is to be prepared for multiple scenarios With Cees we have a strong finisher who we will work for when it comes down to a bunch sprint If the wind is strong then we have to be ready to race collectively from the gun so we can get multiple riders into the final and play our cards from there." - 2022 Bredene Koksijde Classic schedule/times: 11:35am ET ------------------------------ * Daylight saving time USA on Sunday - Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) won the 2021 Bredene Koksijde Classic - The 2022 Bredene Koksijde Classic is being held Friday Notes from the 2021 Bredene Koksijde Classic - 2021 Bredene Koksijde Classic schedule/times: 7:40am ET Finish at 17:15 CET - There was no race in 2020 due to Covid-19 - Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the 2019 Bredene Koksijde Classic - The 2021 Bredene Koksijde Classic is being held Friday Notes from the 2019 Bredene Koksijde Classic - LIVE video here.  (Sporza - Official Start List here - Alvaro Jose Hodeg (Quickstep Floors) won the 2018 Handzame Classic - The 2019 Bredene Koksijde Classic is being held Friday Twitter Es gelten die AGBs.How was your experience today Arkéa-B&B Hotels rider out-sprints Dylan Groenewegen A crash in the final bend took out the lead-out for Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) and disrupted the run-in to the finish line leaving only a dozen riders sprinting for the win Groenewegen opened up the sprint first but faded in the headwind getting a perfect lead-out from the Dutchman before coming around to snatch only the third victory of his career Thijssen started his effort from too far behind and could only manage third "I'm super happy especially because the season so far was not super Today I think I changed a lot," Mozzato said "To win a race like this is really special because it's a classic in Belgium." Mozzato proved to be attentive and anonymous throughout the race - the perfect formula to win a Belgian classic He survived the Kemmelberg and made the split when the bunch shattered in the crosswinds Everybody knew the day would be like this with the echelons and it was super nervous from the start," Mozzato said With the help of the team I tried to stay in front as possible I think I did a pretty good job to save some energy throughout the day This helped me to have a good sprint in the end." Riders lined up for the Bredene Koksijde Classic facing typical dreary Belgian weather but not enough wind to create too much havoc The riders of the Continental teams were keen to get some television time and Mauro Verwilt (Tarteletto-Isorex) and Jasper Haest (VolkerWessel) made the first successful attack Abram Stockman (TDT-Unibet) and Max Kroonen (VolkerWessel) came across and the day's early breakaway formed The peloton never let them get more than a minute or two and by the time they reached the Kemmelberg for the first time the bunch split and very nearly caught the breakaway as Haest was dropped but then the peloton sat up and let the gap go back out to a minute and a half The pace picked up over the Baneberg and by 82km to go A crash with 77.5km to go as the bunch neared the crosswind section helped split up the peloton and soon echelons formed Pre-race favourite Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) made the first group but it didn't deter teams from working A surge from Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) spat De Lie out but the Belgian sprinter put in a solo effort to get back into the first group with 49km to go The second peloton finally bridged across as the wind eased with 28km remaining Otter Vergaerde (Lidl-Trek) put in a move but was brought back with 18.5km to go Politt tried again inside 10km to go and was joined by Daan Hoole Lampaert and Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty) but they were unable to make the move work Robbe Ghys (Alpecin-Deceuninck) tried to foil the sprinters but was swept up in the dash to the line A crash from his teammate disrupted the lead-out in the final kilometre but Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-Samsic) came out on top in the sprint over Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) German bags his first win for UAE Team Emirates Pascal Ackermann celebrates his victory(Image credit: Getty Images)(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)(Image credit: Getty)(Image credit: Getty)(Image credit: Getty)(Image credit: Getty)(Image credit: Getty)(Image credit: Getty)(Image credit: Getty)(Image credit: Getty)Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) claimed victory at the Bredene Koksijde Classic on Friday.  The German beat Hugo Hofstetter (Arkea-Samsic) and Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) to the line in a bunch sprint.  It was Ackermann's first win since the Deutschland Tour last summer, and his first for UAE Team Emirates since moving from Bora-Hansgrohe over the winter.  "I was not really lucky in the last weeks but my shape was really good," an elated Ackermann said after hitting out early to the victory.  "I was thinking about what's wrong but I think the mistake just was waiting too long in the sprints. Today I decided to go early like in the last years and it worked out again. I'm really happy about it." It's Ackermann's second win at the Bredene Koksijde Classic after a similar finale in 2019. "I have good memories about this race, I won it three years ago. I hope that was the final kick for me and now it's going forward to the next races. I already felt good in the last days, I was just a bit unsure because I had now 10 race days in 12 days. Now I stop the first part of the season with a victory and can look forward to the next race in De Panne next week. "My shape is really good, my level is higher than the last years - my sprint power is better than last year. I am looking forward to the next races. It's really special because for the first time in my career I'll do the Classics, so I'm really looking forward to it and hope I can do something in the next weeks. I'm really proud to be part of the team and now it's time to give something back." The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling GREENE ( Nee McAlinden ) ( Kilkeel ) 31st August 2024 peacefully at Brooklands Nursing Home Kilkeel Manse Road Kilkeel.Bredene's remains are reposing at her late residence from 3.00pm Sunday ( Ist September ) until removal on Tuesday ( 3rd ) at 10.40 am to St Colman's Church Massforth for Requiem Mass at 11.00amBurial afterwards in adjoining cemetery.Sadly missed by her sister-in-law Kathleen Share this sad news with friends and loved ones [email protected] Link The 2023 edition of Breden Koksijde Classic will be the 12th in the 13-year history of the one-day race which saw a cancellation in 2020 due to the global coronavirus pandemic The Flanders race began in 2011 as the Handzame Classic then changed to Breden Koksijde Classic in 2019 What hasn’t changed are the ingredients to a challenging one-day race - cobblestones the Norwegian winning in 2017 and then taking second place the next two years for Team Sky The first winner of the event was Belgian Steve Schets (Donckers Koffie - Jelly Belly Cycling Team) 2022 race Upgraded as a 1.HC race (now ProTour Series) in 2018, the Belgian race attracts top WorldTour teams and the top ProTeams. There were 10 WorldTour teams competing in 2022. Bredene has hosted the race start nine times, with the early editions finishing in Handzame. From 2019 the race has culminated in the seaside town of Koksijde in West Flanders, with courses of 199km to 200.9km in distance. There are key climbs on the course each year and last year they were the Monteberg (500m with maximum of 8.7%), Kemmelberg (1,700m with maximum of 12.1%), Rodeberg (1,700m with maximum of 12.1%), Sulferberg (1,700m  with maximum 6%) and Scherpenbeg (1,700m with maximum 6%).  Mathieu van der Poel was once again top of the podium, this time in Cyclocross Bredene, a C2 race that was missing a number of top riders. With Wout Van Aert waiting until January 4 in Gullegem for his next race, Toon Aerts taking a break to let his four fractured ribs heal, and Eli Iserbyt, Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vanthourenhout resting up, Van der Poel made easy work of decimating the field. Despite a crash, the Corendon-Circus rider pulled away from Tim Merlier to win his 16th race of the season. I got nostalgic for the time when this was the Hamsandwich Classic and christ almighty that was six years ago? this is still a solid midweek classic for the gritty sprinters And today potentially with some extra crosswind spice Tram Conductor of the Day: Arvid De Kleijn Official Site , Startlist The action kicked off from kilometer zero in the 19th edition of the Bredene Koksijde Classic and continued to the last meters leaving a group of 21 riders sprinting for the victory Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) opened his sprint early and Mads Pedersen looked poised to slingshot around the Belgian Mads had race aggressively for 200 kilometers and his legs politely said no thanks Mads sat down, glanced behind, and tried again. He easily held on for second place, but Merlier denied a second win for the 2019 World Champion after he claimed Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in February I didn’t really have the legs to follow Merlier,” explained Pedersen “If I would have been more conservative and raced only for the sprint maybe it would have been different it would have been better chances if I had waited for the sprint but today the most important was to have a tough race It was still a good day – I am happy with second place “It was a last-minute decision to do this race and I came here to do good preparation for the next bigger races,” he continued “It’s nice to finish with a good result today and the boys did a really good job so it’s nice to pay them back but the legs were not there in the sprint anymore.” It was the fastest edition of the 200-kilometer Belgian semi-classic with an opening hour raced at an astonishing average speed of 56km/h The crosswinds made for early echelon action and when the cobbled climbs came at the mid-way point Alex Kirsch and Mads Pedersen were part of the 13-man escape group that emerged over the second ascent of Kemmelberg they held a gap between 30 and 45 seconds to a stubborn chase group of 18 riders unwilling to throw in the towel it was a possibility to make an early break,” said Mads [The breakaway] worked quite well together for a long time I tried an attack to have a hard last 30kms A solo move by Lukas Postlberger from the leading group created an exciting finale Behind the two chase groups merged and reshuffled taking over from Alex Kirsch’s hard work and he immediately went to the front to help close the gap to Postlberger “Kirsch did a really good job and when he was done Kamp came from the second group and he did an excellent job also to close the gap to Postlberger It was really nice to see the teamwork today and to see the shape of our guys – it was a solid ride from our team,” said Pedersen and while Pedersen was a favorite for the win on paper Pedersen came into the race with a different agenda second is a great result and Merlier has shown fast sprinting legs this year Mads Pedersen next lines up Wednesday in the WorldTour classic The Belgian nipped through in the dying metres to edge Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) at the line while Sam Welsford (Team DSM) rounded out the podium close behind Thijssen benefitted from stellar work from his team in closing kilometres with Intermarché-Circus-Wanty taking control at the head of the peloton during a hectic final run to the finish in Koksijde and a final bend just 300 metres out all contributed to the messy finish with UAE Team Emirates emerging on the front in the final sprint with GP Denain winner Juan Sebastián Molano leading out Ackermann The German launched his burst for the line up the barriers at around 125 metres to go but he had Thijssen on his wheel ready to hit the wind in the final 50 metres That perfectly timed burst was enough to see the Belgian zip past Ackermann right at the line and claim his second victory of the month after the contested photo finish ahead of Caleb Ewan at the GP Monseré and I really had to try to get on the wheel of Ackermann," Thijssen said after the finish "Pascal started his sprint and I thought I could get past him "I just gave everything and all my frustration from all the comments about the sprint in Monseré It was a bit of a middle finger to all those comments "I was a little bit disappointed about Nokere Koerse I didn't say that I could beat Tim [Merlier] there but I was in a super good position and they crashed in front of me and there was no way out "Today in the last lap I said on the radio 'let's do one more time all for me It was five riders who really gave everything for each other The peloton had been all together since the 40km to go mark of the 192km race with Tartoletto-Isorex pairing Andreas Goeman and Thomas Joseph Thomas Kopecky (TDT-Unibet) and Timo De Jong (VolkerWessels) caught early having escaped in the opening 5km of the race their advantage had reached a maximum of five minutes while a group of four more men – Intermarché pair Laurenz Rex and Dries De Pooter and Lotto-Dstny duo Brent Van Moer and Cedric Beullens – attempted an unsuccessful bridging move over the hills A mass crash at 53km to go saw riders including Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) and Kristoffer Halvorsen (Uno-X) hit the deck with the Lotto man forced to abandon as a result From then on it was a case of chasing down the breakaway and keeping the pace high for the inevitable closing sprint at the end of the flat run-in and Soudal-QuickStep all played their part in working at the front of the peloton it was Intermarché-Circus-Wanty who would walk away with the spoils and an eighth victory of the campaign Belgian beats Pedersen and Sénéchal in sprint from reduced group The early part of the race was dominated by a 13-rider breakaway and an 18-man chasing group until the race entered three local laps around Koksijde Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) attacked the leading group and looked set to solo to victory only to be brought back with just 1.4km to go Merlier's teammate Jonas Rickaert led the group into the final few hundred metres and timed the effort perfectly after a few pedal strokes from Sénéchal's teammate Merlier – winner of Le Samyn and the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré earlier this month – leapt clear and powered to the line a clean pair of wheels ahead of Pedersen "I think I'm on the same level as when I won the Belgian Championships," Merlier said after the race At the first passage on the Kemmelberg I was too far back "At the second passage I knew I had to be good After that we dangled behind the leaders for a hundred kilometres I knew I still had a chance because my legs were still good But then I saw I had a few lengths and I laid me flat because last year I did not reach this level." brisk but sunny day greeted riders in the afternoon in Bredene for the start of the 199km race and for the first hour of racing was contested at top speeds with the winds already pushing riders to form echelons The flat run out to the dual ascents of the Kemmelberg already broke up the bunch and when the race hit the climbs Qhubeka-Assos lit up the race and put three riders into a leading group of 13 The group included Tim Declercq and Florian Senechal (Deceuninck-QuickStep) Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg  and Max Walscheid (Team Qhubeka Assos) Alex Kirsch and Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) Nils Politt and Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Tom Van Asbroeck (Israel Start-up Nation) but were chased by a larger second group on the flat the second group of 18 riders closed the leaders to 36 seconds with the larger peloton a distant two minutes behind That group contained Josef Černy (Deceuninck-QuickStep) Mikkel Bjerg and Marco Marcato (UAE Team Emirates) Tim Merlier and Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Fenix) Christophe Noppe and Bram Welten (Team Arkea-Samsic) Eduard-Michael Grosu and Dušan Rajović (Delko) Cyril Lemoine (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) and Stanisław Aniłkowski (Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles) Despite the concerted efforts of Rickaert to keep the rotation going the determination of the leaders was even more coordinated and with 40km to go the gap was going the wrong way for Merlier's group at 44 seconds The situation began to reverse as the riders reached the closing three circuits with 31km to go – especially after the leaders missed a sharp turn a kilometer later and the chasers received better directions Sénéchal and Planckaert had a go with 27km to go ditching Kirsch but not the rider they most feared Pöstlberger continued on after the others were brought back and managed to open up a gap of about 15 seconds With one of the two Bora riders up the road it was up to the Qhubeka-Assos trio to lead the chase As they passed under the two laps to go banner Pöstlberger had 19 seconds on his previous companions and the second chasing group were lagging at 51 seconds Alpecin-Fenix still had belief and Merlier himself began working to bring back the riders - the leader at 18 seconds and chasers at 35 seconds up the road Pöstlberger continued to persist with a 15-second lead but the gap between the two chasing groups behind also fell until the two came together before one lap to go Leknessund and Janse van Rensburg came across the line with a slight advantage on the other chasers but they were brought back under the pressure of Trek-Segafredo's Kamp Pöstlberger's time out front was coming to an end The dunes of Koksijde loomed over the bunch as they got the Austrian in sight forcing Trek-Segafredo to expend Kirsch in the chase Politt feigned an attack then sat up to try and help his teammate and it doubled his advantage to seven seconds with 5km to go Another kilometre of riders looking at each other not wanting to tow Pedersen to the line and Pöstlberger had 13 seconds in hand and a lot more confidence in his solo move Deceuninck-Quickstep and Qhubeka Assos managed to find enough pace to bring the gap down and finally shut down the Austrian's move with 1.4km to go It was a small bunch sprint and advantage for the riders with teammates - Rickaert took control of the lead-out for Merlier with Quickstep hot on his heels The former Belgian champion sat on Sénéchal's lead-out until what looked like an early jump but Merlier held off Pedersen and the Deceuninck-Quickstep rider for the win she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track Laura has a passion for all three disciplines When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads UCI governance and performing data analysis Belgian out of E3 Saxo Bank and rest of Spring Classics having drifted back after his team tried to split the race in the crosswinds On a narrow section of road with a deep crack running through the middle of the tarmac a Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider shifted to avoid riding into the rut and bumped into Hugo Hofstetter (Arkéa-Samsic) The contact caused Hofstetter to fall and the crash rippled through the peloton seen writing in pain on the ground while the rest of the crash victims got back up "I am of course very disappointed to miss the Spring Classics with Lotto-Dstny," Campenaerts said "Everyone saw that we had started the season in a good way and I was really looking forward to continuing that good flow in the upcoming classics "Unfortunately I will now have to follow it from home I am convinced that my teammates will show great things in the coming weeks Campenaerts raced a dozen Spring Classics from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad to Paris-Roubaix with a fourth place in Dwars door Vlaanderen his best result Belgian sprinter runs bike over the line to win by 10 hundredths of a second in Bredene after avoiding ATV Soudal-QuickStep have been preparing slightly differently from the other WorldTour teams this off-season, with riders Tim Merlier Yves Lampaert and the departing Tim Declercq among those competing in a snowy beach race in Bredene last weekend Merlier dramatically won the race after narrowly avoiding a quadbike going into the final corner He was forced to dismount and run with his bike to the line only besting journalist and rider Thijs Zonneveld by the barest of margins “The finish photo showed that I won by 10 hundredths of a second.” that is winning as many sprint races as possible For Bert [Van Lerberghe] that may be doing as many good lead-outs as possible For Tim Declercq that is doing as many good leading kilometres as possible." Declercq is leaving Soudal-QuickStep for Lidl-Trek in 2024 but was competing in his trade team’s kit for one of the final times able to laugh about the far-from-ideal weather conditions while teammates Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe are already in Spain ready for training camp.  It's a different stimulus that we give to our body It's an off-road race and we don't have much chance to do that,” said Lampaert “I would dare to say that this is the feeling of a time trial This is the second beach race Merlier has won in a few weeks with the team spirit and morale key to competing at these events.  “We can chat about it for a whole year," said Merlier “We are not paid for it and of course It is just more fun if you have won here.” Merlier was adamant that he could help the team at the Tour even with their GC ambitions for Remco Evenepoel due to his ability to help on the off-road gravel stage 9 into Troyes and how he can fill in the rouleur role on mountain days.  there are also other riders in the team capable of doing this work Look how Jumbo-Visma's rouleurs take the peloton in tow with their train "I remain convinced that selecting me and Bert would be a good idea to help Remco win the Tour." A post shared by Thijs Zonneveld (@thijzzzzzzzzz) during which time he also wrote for Eurosport Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby Belgian has missed almost three months of racing after crash at Bredene Koksijde Classic He was forced to miss the bulk of the spring Classics as a result and is only now getting back to the peloton for the week-long stage race Campenaerts is set to target Belgian National Championships later in the month, with the Vuelta a España a possible target later in the season. Next month's Tour de France is He's recently been working at altitude in the Sierra Nevada and will travel directly to France for his racing return He'll head to the Dauphiné with the goal of finishing the race in mind as well as helping his teammates throughout the week "To be clear, I am starting without any ambition," Campenaerts told Het Nieuwsblad who also went on altitude training for a long time I was able to cycle at home for a fortnight Although I have to say that my back still played tricks on me during that But my condition was so bad from not being able to train for so long that the few hours I was able to cycle were enough to improve my form The long recovery from his crash and back injury saw him stuck in bed and feeling "disgusted" at how he was spending his days He did have regular visits from his teammates and he noted that how they have raced in his absence – on the attack and into the top 10 of the UCI rankings – has encouraged him during his racing absence I got incredibly disgusted with myself," he said "I just sat there in bed swiping through social media only to realise in the evening that I hadn't done anything meaningful for a day I deleted all social media and started focussing on things like literature on sports psychology "Sometimes, it was the sweet spot here, and five riders would stop separately during their training for a coffee and a biscuit. Especially Florian Vermeersch – he visited me the most by far "It was motivating to see the drive of the guys on the team That encourages me to get back on level because I will have to be good to not be the worst of the team or make the selection at all." Campenaerts has much of the rest of his 2023 season laid out ahead of him mixing stage races like the Dauphiné and Tour de Wallonie with one-dayers around Belgium The Dauphiné will be followed up by two weeks at altitude before the Circuit Franco-Belge, the Sibiu Tour, and another spell at altitude before turning his focus to a possible Vuelta a España build-up "I can hopefully ride at a competitive level again," he said of Wallonie Druivenkoers Overijse and the Egmont Cycling Race the Benelux [Renewi – Ed.] Tour or Vuelta may be added "If my rehabilitation had gone faster than hoped it might have been a realistic goal," he said of the Tour de France "But then I should have been able to go on altitude training in Livigno in time "Riding the Dauphiné with four weeks of thorough training is already on the optimistic side Taking on the Tour after that didn't seem a good idea for me If I manage to win another stage or one-day race somewhere this year my season will already be more than successful given the circumstances." 'We are curious to see how he fares in this type of races' says director Van Slycke the 19-year-old has otherwise had a strong start to his debut season with Deceuninck-QuickStep in his two opening stage races and the team's management is eager to see how he performs in the one-day Classics Thomas, Tinkov, Cavendish and Evenepoel - Podcast Peter Sagan's advice to Remco Evenepoel: Just be yourself Evenepoel continues his fast-track pro debut at the UAE Tour Remco Evenepoel crashes out of UAE Tour Deceuninck-QuickStep have already won four of the opening Classics: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad among their total of 18 victories so far this season Le Samyn winner Florian Sénéchal and Pieter Serry with its narrow roads and legendary cobbled uphill finish but the wind and rain can turn it into a race of attrition," said sports director Rik Van Slycke in a team press release but we have also other riders who can have a say in the finale depending on how things unfold who we are curious to see how he fares in this type of races." Evenepoel will also race the 197.5km at Bredene Koksijde Classic on Friday with a similar team Volta ao Algarve stage winner Fabio Jakobsen will replace Florian Sénéchal Jakobsen also won last year's Nokere Koerse but will not be participating in the race this year with the Kemmelberg as the main climb on the course and the windy roads of De Panne and Koksijde which could very well lead to some echelons," Van Slycke said shape the race and hopefully come out of it with a good result." Evenepoel won the junior titles in the road race and the time trial at the 2018 World Championships in Innsbruck He decided to skip the under-23 ranks and sign a contract to race with Deceuninck-QuickStep in 2019 He joined the WorldTour team for the first time this year at the Vuelta a San Juan where he was third in the stage 3 time trial and then finished the stage race in ninth place overall and the winner of the best young rider category He continued with strong performances at the UAE Tour in February where he helped the team to seventh in the opening team time trial and then placed 15th on stage 3 at the top of the Jebel Hafeet climb a crash through crosswinds that swept through stage 4 forced him to abandon the race and the team later reported that he had suffered abrasions to his fingers The team also noted that the crash would not affect his spring schedule and that he would start racing again in late March Belgian talent outpaces Sunweb-Napoleon Games teammates Young Wout Van Aert (Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace) won the Versluys cyclo-cross race in Bredene The 20-year-old Belgian rider was much stronger than the rest of the field on the muddy course through the dunes at the North Sea coast Fellow youngsters Gianni Vermeersch and Tim Merlier – both 22 years old and riding for Sunweb-Napoleon Games – joined Van Aert on the podium It's the eighth victory for Van Aert at the elite men's level this season He also won six races in the men's under-23 category Van Aert was attracted by the organizers for their C2-race to replace last year's winner Zdenek Stybar who called off his participation after his crash at the cross in Ardooie Van Aert tried to please the crowd with a good performance and he set the pace early on He was joined by Sven Vanthourenhout (Crelan – AA Drink) Vermeersch and Merlier and later also Joeri Adams (Vastgoedservice – Golden Palace) Merlier and Vermeersch were the first to get dropped chasing the two remaining leaders with Bart Wellens (Telenet-Fidea) Afterwards he referred to having cold legs and a lack of power Sven Nys' teammate went on to finish sixth Van Aert continued solo and with a mud-clad face he reached the finish line Vermeersch beat teammate Merlier in the sprint for second place Stybar won in Bredene ahead of Rob Peeters Both riders called off their participation in Bredene this year Stybar is recovering from his injuries sustained at a crash in the Ardooie cyclo-cross Peeters is struggling with illness and might be out for the race in Diegem on Sunday evening There was no race in the women's category in Bredene Faharas News is an AI-driven news aggregator that provides real-time updates from a variety of sources We do not take responsibility for the content or the external links provided We use cookies to personalize content and ads , to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic...Learn More