Renewi Tour

The fifth stage of the Renewi Tour began with around a dozen riders within 30 seconds, making the fight for the general classification an intriguing and exciting one. To add more spice to everything, the 202.7km parcours from Menen to Geraardsbergen featured three ascents of the mythical Muur-Kapelmuur, as well as other climbs known from De Ronde, such as the Paterberg and Bosberg.

This combination of hills, cobbles and up-and-down roads made for an action-packed day, animated for more than 100 kilometers by a large breakaway group that featured Soudal Quick-Step’s Josef Cerny. Once the breakaway was caught, the GC men began showing their intentions, around twenty riders zipping away inside the last hour of racing. Ilan Van Wilder was there and helped the group open a comfortable gap on the chasers.

On the last lap, with some 17 kilometers to go, five men attacked, two of them making another move just before the finish and arriving together at the finish, where Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) took the victory, while Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) sealed the GC victory. Ilan – who raced the Renewi Tour for the first time in his career – concluded the week as the top-ranked Soudal Quick-Step rider, in 11th place, just six seconds from the top ten.

Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images