Del Grosso beats Van Aert at the line
In a thrilling two-rider sprint, Tibor Del Grosso outpaced Wout van Aert at the line, claiming his first victory in the Telenet Superprestige. Vanthourenhout finished third.
It was the young Del Grosso (Alpecin–Deceuninck) who took the initiative in the opening lap. In the technical section at the end of the first lap, he set the pace. Orts (Ridley Racing Team) and Kuhn (Heizomat–Cube) were able to latch on, joining the Dutch champion as they entered the second lap with a roughly ten-second advantage. Orts struggled slightly from the fast opening lap, and the small gap he had to leave to his two companions gradually grew.
Belgian fans were especially looking for Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), who was riding in the chasing group in 12th position. At the second passage across the finish line, the chase briefly slowed, giving Van Aert the chance to increase the tempo. He quickly closed in on the leaders and, together with Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen–Altez Industriebouw) and Nys (Baloise Glowi Lions), bridged the gap. Another chasing group also joined by the start of the fourth lap, forming a nine-rider leading group. Everything was back to square one.
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The decisive move came at the end of the fifth lap, when Van Aert unleashed a powerful attack. Del Grosso followed immediately on his wheel. Vanthourenhout tried to join, but just couldn’t make it. Within less than half a lap, Van Aert and Del Grosso, who seemed to find a perfect rhythm together, had built a 15-second lead on the chasers.
No one from behind posed a threat to the leading duo. They entered the final lap together, and although Van Aert ramped up the pace in the final lap, the pair stayed side by side to the line. Del Grosso beated Van Aert at the finish, taking his first victory in a stage race. Vanthourenhout rounded out the podium in third. Vandeputte (Alpecin–Deceuninck Development Team) remains the leader in the overall standings.
