Bilzen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Jasper Phillipsen made a last-second sprint to win the Stage 4 of the 2026 Renewi Tour which was held between Bilzen-Hoeselt with an edge of a tire over Olav Kooij, thereby taking back the yellow jersey as well as leading the race for the final stage. Phillipsen, racing for Alpecin–Premier Tech made his sprint in the last 75 metres and made full use of his bike throw to just about pip the Dutch rider who was racing for Decathlon CMA CGM.
How did the Bilzen sprint unfold?
It was almost certain that the 187.3 km long stage starting in Riemst and finishing in Bilzen-Hoeselt, with 1,450 metres of climbing and an uphill finish, would end in an abbreviated bunch sprint, but there was plenty about the final kilometres to make things challenging. Dylan Groenewegen gave the final lead out of the sprint train, setting the stage for a hectic finale where Søren Wærenskjold went down in the last 500 metres, but fortunately managed to avoid this incident most of the big sprinters.
Olav Kooij, riding in the wheels of Biniam Girmay, found himself in the front during the last 200 metres and seemed to have the race won when he passed the flagging Groenewegen. But there was Philipsen waiting in his wheels who perfectly timed his sprint and beat Kooij by a hair.
Reports described the finish as
“another photo-finish at the 2026 Renewi Tour”
and noted that Philipsen
“won by a tyre’s width with a good bike throw”,
underlining how finely balanced the top sprinters are in this race.
What does the win mean for the general classification?
This stage victory brought important bonus seconds that significantly changed the order in the general classification. Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto–Intermarché), who had won the general leadership of the race due to his late attack and subsequent victory on Stage 3 in Geraardsbergen, lost his leadership position when Philipsen won the stage. After bonus seconds were added to his time, Philipsen regained his leading position and gained a four-second lead over Berckmoes before Sunday’s last stage in Leuven.
The change in the overall leadership of the race once again illustrates the dynamics of the WorldTour race where accidents and bonus seconds may quickly change the situation in the race. In 2026 Renewi Tour, the leading position has already changed hands several times: Jonathan Milan (Lidl–Trek) won Stage 1 and got his first jersey but after getting caught in a mass accident on Stage 2, he lost his leadership position to Philipsen; Jenno Berckmoes took over the lead on Stage 3, but Philipsen got it back in Bilzen.
How has the 2026 Renewi Tour shaped up so far?
Renewi Tour of 2026, which is a five-day cycling event that takes place between the dates 19 August to 23 August in Belgium and is part of the UCI WorldTour, has seen a series of chaotic sprints, accidents, and tactical plays by riders, leaving the classification table highly uncertain. On day one, Milan won the sprint finish race in Diest ahead of Kooij and Tim Merlier, while heavy rain and a chaotic finish marked the first day of this unpredictable tour.
Day two in Ardooie saw a mass pile-up that put Milan out of the competition, leading to Philipsen winning the stage and taking the lead in the overall classification. Day three in Geraardsbergen ended the sprinters’ streak, with Jenno Berckmoes making an attack in the last kilometre to surprise Philipsen and Kooij and take the leader’s jersey. Now Bilzen awaits them, where Philipsen’s stage victory and bonus seconds brought him back to the lead position.
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