There was already a similar stage between Blankenberge and Ardooie in the Renewi Tour route profile in the previous season. Back then, the stage ended with a sprint victory for Jonathan Milan. And this year too, a bunch sprint decided the stage arrival after 172.7 kilometres in the Flemish municipality: the stage win went to Olav Kooij (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), with second place going to Pavel Bittner (Team Picnic PostNL) ahead of Milan Fretin (Cofidis). The winner of the previous day, Tim Merlier (Soudal - Quick-Step)only finished seventh - and lost his leader's jersey to Kooij.
Riders complete stage at 48 km/h
The stage was characterised by numerous windy sections, a hectic pace and a high speed. The riders completed the section at an average speed of just under 48 km/h. There were several splits in the peloton.
The finale took place on a 16.1 kilometre circuit around the finish town of Ardooie. Despite several attacks, most of the peloton crossed the finish line together. Kooij reached the final kilometre slightly built in, but found the right gap and was unbeatable in the last 200 metres. Earlier on, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) had pulled the sprint for his team-mate Jensen Plowright, but he started too early.
Kooij took the lead in the overall classification. Merlier and Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) followed in second and third place.
Results 2nd stage Renewi Tour 2025
Stage 2: Blankenberge - Ardooie
Renewi Tour 2025: Stage 2, Blankenberge - Ardooie
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 03:35:07 |
| 2 | Team Picnic PostNL | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | +00:00:00 |
| 4 | Intermarché - Wanty | +00:00:00 |
| 5 | Team Jayco AlUla | +00:00:00 |
| 6 | Soudal Quick-Step | +00:00:00 |
How the 2nd stage of the Renewi Tour 2025 went
At the start of the stage, the leading group of Giosue Epes (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Siebe Deweirdt (Team Flanders - Baloise) and Alexandre van Petergem (Wagner Bazin WB) established itself and subsequently built up a lead of around three minutes. Deweirdt, who wore the sprint jersey, won the sprint classification in Blankenberge. In the peloton, Soudal - Quick-Step controlled the chase.
The wind played a role early on in the stage and led to a brief break in the peloton after around 30 kilometres. However, the peloton quickly regrouped afterwards. However, the wind edge meant that the first hour of the race was covered at 46 kilometres per hour. However, the acceleration did not help the escape group's lead: after around 60 kilometres, Epes, Deweirdt and van Petergem's endeavour was already over.
The field falls apart several times in the wind
Shortly afterwards, a new breakaway trio formed around Ward Vanhoff (Team Flanders - Baloise), Kenneth van Rooy (Wagner Bazin WB) and Deweirdt again, but this group only made it around 15 kilometres. The wind led to a continuous rush and a high pace in the peloton.
With 60 kilometres to go, there was another windy break that split the peloton into several groups. A leading group of around 40 riders emerged from this situation and built up a lead of around 30 seconds - which it held for some time. It was not until 34 kilometres before the finish that the second group caught up from behind.
Nevertheless, there was no calm in the peloton. Ten kilometres later there were further attacks in the crosswind. Among others, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) attacked. Due to the constant crosswind, the peloton was consistently tense, even on the final laps. Wellens attacked again and Jasper Stuyven (Lidl - Trek) also opened up a gap. But the first group stayed together until the finish.
