Final decisive day this Sunday on the Renewi Tourwith a 5th stage worthy of a classic Ardennes mini traced in circuit all around the city of Louvain. No less than twenty short ribs were listed on this particularly using 184.7 km course. At the end of a very pleasant and animated race until the end, we attended a final with twists and turns and a completely crazy scenario in the last kilometer … concluded by the superb victory ofArnaud de Lie (Lotto)! While the general's leader had seen Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) Reassembly in front of him thanks to the bonifications of the “green kilometer” a little earlier, the Belgian sprinter knew how to keep his cold, even when Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) seemed to be off to a successful kilometer blow. But that was without counting on a monumental sprint of the Lescheret Taurus, which arose at the last moment of a meager peloton to crucify his compatriot with a breath and thus win everything!
Video – The day before, Tim Merlier had won the 4th stage
Mathieu van der Poel tried everything, but Arnaud de Lie triumphed
Arnaud de Lie et Mathieu van der Poel were very strong on this Renewi Tour And will therefore have delivered a magnificent duel until the very last meter. If the Dutchman had regained his hand after passing the offensive several times, especially during the “green kilometer” where he pocketed 3 seconds against only 1 in his rival, he finally had to bow in front of the Belgian speed of speed, far too fast in this final sprint between strong in a very reduced platoon. It was enough for “ADL” to enter the first 3 and to be ahead MVDP To win this 20th edition, but he finally won everything, blowing the victory on the wire to an unhappy and heroic Dries De Bondt3rd on the line. This double victory comes to confirm in a brilliant way the return to the foreground and at its best since this summer of the Lescheret bull, after months of galleys and doubt.
Pavel Bittner (Team Picnic PostNL) et Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco-Alula) complete the top 5th of the day, while the French The country (Groupama-FDJ, 8th) and Axel Laurance (Ineos grenadiers, 10th) enter the top 10. To the general, despite all that happened on this 5th stage, the podium remains unchanged, De Lie winning with 3 seconds of margin on Van der Poel and 31 on the double title holder Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Through the game of bonus, the top 10 has undergone some upheavals, Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) grapping two positions to the foot of the podium, and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) finally slipping into the final row.
