Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) scored a victory from the breakaway on the Bredene Koksijde Vintage, successful within the completing dash because the transfer – which went transparent 100km from the end – with reference to held directly to the road.
With the peloton in spite of everything ultimate in at the attackers within the ultimate metres of the race, Theuns introduced an extended dash with Luke Lamperti (Soudal-QuickStep) and Nils Eekhoff (Picnic-PostNL) on his wheel.
He had sufficient to carry off his two competition, who have been additionally in the similar long-range transfer, with Lamperti and Eekhoff filling out the rest of the rostrum puts.
“It’s unbelievable. 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 mentioned 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, so it gives me a lot of satisfaction. 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. It feels good. I really have to thank everybody who supported me, the whole team and especially my girlfriend and my son. They are the world to me, and they always support me. It’s not always easy to live together with a cyclist, but moments like these make it worth it.”
Luke Lamperti (Soudal-QuickStep) and Aime De Gendt (Cofidis) lead the huge breakaway team (Symbol credit score: Luc Claessen/Getty Photographs)
The flat begin to the 201km race introduced with it prime winds, echelons after 25km, and an early finish to the breakaway. The large assaults of the day would come at the ‘hill zone’ comprising of 2 ascents of the Baneberg and Kemmelberg and one of the vital Monteberg, alternatively.
The 5 ascents got here packed into a brief circuit after 73km of racing and would convey assault after assault on the entrance of the race. Assaults from Erik Resell (Uno-X Mobility) and Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) instigated the principle transfer of the day heading in opposition to the Baneberg.
Extra riders, together with Vito Braet (Intermarché-Wanty), Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) and Robbe Ghys (Alpecin-Deceuninck) went alongside, whilst in the back of them, a chase team together with the rostrum trio, Alec Segaert (Lotto), Florian Vermeersch (UAE Workforce Emirates-XRG), and Aimé De Gendt (Cofidis) shaped.
Upon completing the second one ascent of the Kemmelberg and exiting the ‘hill zone’, a minute separated the 2 teams, with the peloton trailing round 20 2nd again. That was once at 100km to head, even though it could take any other 40km sooner than the 2 destroy teams merged.
Again within the peloton, groups together with Q36.5, Jayco-AlUla, and Arkéa-B&B Lodges labored on the entrance having overlooked the strikes. The space to the enlarged main team of 15 males got here down very progressively, alternatively.
At 20km to head, the time hole was once all the way down to 35 seconds, however the riders out entrance stored on fighting regardless of Uno-X and Tudor becoming a member of within the paintings in the back of. After all, it will be the frontrunners who gained out, with Söderqvist having installed a mountain of labor at the entrance to lend a hand Theuns.
The catch was once just about being made throughout the ultimate kilometre, and certainly, each peloton and destroy completed at the identical time, however the breakaway riders gained out because the fastmen prevailed.
Theuns proved the fastest within the sprint to the road after a busy time out by means of the North Coastline. He held off Lamperti and Eekhoff within the dash for his first UCI win since 2021, whilst Vernon and Braet rounded out the highest 5.
Podium at 2025 Breden Koksijde Vintage (L to R): Luke Lamperti of Soudal-QuickStep on 2nd position, race winner Edward Theuns of Lidl-Trek and Nils Eekhoff of Workforce Picnic PostNL on 3rd position (Symbol credit score: Luc Claessen/Getty Photographs)Effects
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