Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Premier Tech) claimed both the final stage win and the overall victory in the Baloise Belgium Tour in Hoeilaart. In a thrilling last stage, many riders were still in contention for the win, resulting in an intense battle for bonus seconds. Ultimately, Jasper Philipsen triumphed in a reduced bunch sprint ahead of Jenno Berckmoes, knocking Alex Aranburu off the top spot. On the final podium, he finished ahead of Berckmoes and Aranburu.
This year’s Baloise Belgium Tour unfolded under bright sunshine. At the picturesque start in Gingelom, riders were urged to stay cool, eat, and drink. Once again, a sizeable early breakaway formed, this time with seven brave riders: Belgians Zeno Moonen, Victor Hannes, and Kay De Bruyckere; Dutchmen Roan Konings and Stijn Appel; and Frenchmen Alexys Brunel and Jocelyn Baguelin. Kay De Bruyckere proved the strongest on the many short climbs, while Victor Hannes secured his Super 8 combativity classification. But in the finale, the breakaway stood no chance against the peloton.
Tension rose in the bunch on the narrow and demanding course, especially heading toward the Golden Kilometer. There, the first major battle for bonus seconds unfolded. Belgians Jasper Philipsen, Jenno Berckmoes, and Quinten Hermans were only a few seconds behind Spanish leader Aranburu. Philipsen and Berckmoes scored in the first two sprints of the Golden Kilometer, but Aranburu countered by taking the full haul in the final intermediate sprint. Philipsen nevertheless managed to cut his virtual deficit from two seconds to just one.
A bunch sprint was far from guaranteed on this challenging route around Hoeilaart and Overijse, but the gaps remained small. Jonas Abrahamsen launched a final attack in the closing kilometres but was caught inside the last kilometre. Mike Teunissen opened the sprint from afar but was overtaken in the final 50 metres. Jasper Philipsen powered to victory in this final stage, collecting enough bonus seconds to secure the overall win. Jenno Berckmoes finished a strong second both in the stage and in the general classification. Max Kanter sprinted to third place, while Alex Aranburu had to settle for bronze in this Baloise Belgium Tour and will not be heading to Spain in purple.
Philipsen also surpassed Merlier in the final standings of the A.A.R.S. points classification, while Hector Alvarez Martinez retained his blue Safe Cycling – Metec young riders’ jersey.
A thrilling final stage brought confirmation for Philipsen: “It feels great to take a double win like this, especially in my home country — it’s always a huge boost. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to dig this deep. The heat was brutal. With the rolling terrain on top of that, it was really tough.”
