Baloise Belgium Tour – Race Report

Baloise Belgium Tour

June 21, 2025

22nd June – Stage 5: Brussels – Brussels

The final stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour brought the peloton to the streets of Brussels for a fast finale for the sprinters. An early breakaway animated the stage but was reeled in with 7 kilometres to go, setting the stage for a sprint finish. Team Picnic PostNL worked hard to keep Casper van Uden in position heading into the final kilometres. Despite the team’s efforts, the chaotic run-in prevented Van Uden from launching his sprint. He led the team across the line to close out a challenging week of racing in Belgium.

After the stage, Team Picnic PostNL coach Roy Curvers said: “After a week where we had hoped for more, some physical and incidental setbacks kept us from showing our full potential. But it was also a week that made us wiser and helped us grow further.”

Results

AV Speed: 46.502/H
Distance: 183.4KM
Vert meters: 1232M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	3:56:38	-
2	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	,,	-
3	HEIDUK Kim	INEOS Grenadiers	,,	-
28	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
62	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
67	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
101	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	0:31	-
107	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	1:05	-
110	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	1:23	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	BARONCINI Filippo	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	16:39:07
2	HAYTER Ethan	Soudal Quick-Step	0:04
3	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto	0:07
39	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	3:31
59	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	10:32
68	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	13:53
79	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	15:01
84	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	16:03
90	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	17:09

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		75
2	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		73
3	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto		52
27	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL		12

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	SEGAERT Alec	Lotto	16:39:36
2	ÁLVAREZ Héctor	Lidl - Trek	0:13
3	KOPECKÝ Matyáš	Team Novo Nordisk	0:28
17	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	14:32
19	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	15:34

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Lotto		49:58:43
2	Movistar Team		0:23
3	Team TotalEnergies		0:40
4	Israel - Premier Tech		0:41
5	Lidl - Trek		1:28
6	Unibet Tietema Rockets		1:45
7	Intermarché - Wanty		8:08
8	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		9:09
9	Team Flanders - Baloise		10:24
10	Uno-X Mobility		11:14
19	Team Picnic PostNL		24:45

21st June – Stage 4: Durbuy – Durbuy

Today’s penultimate stage took the riders through the challenging terrain of the Belgian Ardennes, with four laps around the scenic but demanding Durbuy circuit. An early breakaway formed soon after the start, but was later reinforced by a counterattack that included Kevin Vermaerke for Team Picnic PostNL. As the race entered the final lap, the front group started to split. Vermaerke unfortunately had to drop back into the second group as attacks flew. With 10 km to go, Vermaerke remained in the chase group, fighting hard to stay in contention for a strong result. In the end, four riders managed to stay away with Vermaerke leading the team home is 27th.

After the stage Kevin Vermaerke said: “Today was the hardest day of the race on paper, and we kind of knew what to expect. The first half was pretty controlled, but then it exploded and became a really tough day. I tried to stay near the front and follow the right moves, and I think I did a good job getting into the right group. In the last lap, it really came down to legs. I couldn’t keep up when the group of four attacked on the hardest climb of the circuit. I tried to recover in the group behind, especially after dealing with sickness the past few days. I did my best, but by the last climb, I was completely empty and had nothing left. I’m a little disappointed because I wanted to go for a result today, but when the body says no, there’s not much you can do. Tomorrow we have one more chance to go for the sprint with Casper.”

Results

AV Speed: 43.148/H
Distance: 173KM
Vert meters: 2931M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto	4:00:34	-
2	FRIGO Marco	Israel - Premier Tech	0:05	-
3	AULAR Orluis	Movistar Team	,,	-
27	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	0:45	-
65	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	9:54	-
79	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	13:45	-
83	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
92	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
93	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	BARONCINI Filippo	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	12:42:29
2	HAYTER Ethan	Soudal Quick-Step	0:04
3	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto	0:07
40	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	3:00
61	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	10:32
72	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	13:53
85	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	14:58
86	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	15:01
90	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	15:46

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto		52
2	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		50
3	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		43
25	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL		12

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	SEGAERT Alec	Lotto	12:42:58
2	ÁLVAREZ Héctor	Lidl - Trek	0:13
3	KOPECKÝ Matyáš	Team Novo Nordisk	0:28
18	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	14:29
19	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	14:32

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Lotto		38:08:49
2	Movistar Team		0:23
3	Team TotalEnergies		0:40
4	Israel - Premier Tech		0:41
5	Lidl - Trek		1:28
6	Unibet Tietema Rockets		1:45
7	Intermarché - Wanty		8:08
8	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		9:09
9	Team Flanders - Baloise		10:24
10	Uno-X Mobility		11:14
19	Team Picnic PostNL		24:45

20th June – Stage 3: Tessenderlo – Ham

On Friday afternoon, the riders faced stage 3 of the Baloise Belgium Tour: a 9.7 kilometre individual time trial. The flat and fast course required full focus and power from the start ramp to the finish line, with little room for recovery or hesitation. Our final rider of the day, Nils Eekhof, proved to be the fasted Team Picnic PostNL rider of the time trial. Pushing hard through every corner and straight, he rode a smooth and consistent time trial to close out the day for the team in 11th place. With no major incidents and all of our riders getting round in good fashion, attention now turns to the weekend’s stages, where more opportunities await.

After the stage Eekhoff said: “A short time trial is what suits me so I was looking forward to this day. I did a good recon and went all out during the race. Everything went according to plan—good position, good lines, good power and good corners—so this is what the outcome is. I’m slightly disappointed that I was not closer to a top result, but cannot blame my own performance. On to tomorrow’s GC day where we’ll try to make a jump in the general classification.”

Results

AV Speed: 55.517/H
Distance: 9.7KM
Vert meters: 79M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	HAYTER Ethan	Soudal Quick-Step	10:29	-
2	GANNA Filippo	INEOS Grenadiers	0:04	-
3	VERMEERSCH Florian	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	0:16	-
11	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	0:24	-
62	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	0:54	-
95	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	1:13	-
120	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	1:27	-
126	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	1:29	-
129	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	1:32	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	HAYTER Ethan	Soudal Quick-Step	8:41:39
2	GANNA Filippo	INEOS Grenadiers	0:02
3	VERMEERSCH Florian	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	0:15
15	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	0:24
54	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	0:54
89	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	1:29
92	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	1:32
109	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	2:17
118	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	2:31

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		50
2	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		43
3	TEUTENBERG Tim Torn	Lidl - Trek		32
18	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL		12

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	ARTZ Huub	Intermarché - Wanty	8:41:57
2	SEGAERT Alec	Lotto	0:02
3	NYS Thibau	Lidl - Trek	0:06
20	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	1:11
21	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	1:14

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	INEOS Grenadiers		26:05:43
2	Soudal Quick-Step		0:03
3	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		0:10
4	Israel - Premier Tech		0:32
5	Lidl - Trek		0:33
6	Team TotalEnergies		0:39
7	Lotto		0:42
8	Tudor Pro Cycling Team		0:59
9	Movistar Team		1:02
10	Alpecin - Deceuninck		1:09
15	Team Picnic PostNL		1:45

19th June – Stage 2: Beringen – Putte

A second potential sprint stage at the Baloise Belgium Tour had the peloton traverse a key cobble section every lap, where the intensity ramped up each time. With the early break caught, the bunch split at around 50 kilometres to go and Nils Eekhoff and Kevin Vermaerke made the front group. A strong chase from behind and an ebbing of the pace out front saw the second group come back.

Another break went clear but the peloton were always in control and heading into the cobbled section for the last time the battle for position was incredibly intense. Team Picnic PostNL aimed to get fast finisher Casper van Uden through the chaos, but unfortunately he couldn’t latch onto the back of Eekhoff’s wheel and the group split once more. Eekhoff tried to position himself as best as possible for the finale but a crash just in front of him thwarted any sprint attempt.

After the stage Eekhoff said: “We rode well together throughout the day. We knew the cobble section was a key point every lap. I was able to always enter there in front and made both splits afterwards. Unfortunately, in the last lap Casper could not make it to my wheel and missed the split. The last straight was headwind so I wanted to come from behind but I was a bit too far back in the group. I had to stop my sprint because of a crash that I could just barely avoid. On to tomorrow’s TT day which is a nice opportunity to go for it.”

Results

AV Speed: 47.137/H
Distance: 194.4KM
Vert meters: 510M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Deceuninck	4:07:27	-
2	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	,,	-
3	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto	,,	-
12	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
42	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
76	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
86	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
112	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	1:04	-
119	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	8:30:58
2	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Deceuninck	0:01
3	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	0:02
21	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	0:12
23	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
79	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
94	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
114	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	1:16
121	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	,,

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		50
2	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		43
3	TEUTENBERG Tim Torn	Lidl - Trek		32
13	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL		12

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MOURIS Wessel	Unibet Tietema Rockets	8:31:04
2	TEUTENBERG Tim Torn	Lidl - Trek	0:06
3	KOPECKÝ Matyáš	Team Novo Nordisk	,,
16	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
21	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Team Flanders - Baloise		25:33:30
2	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		,,
3	Intermarché - Wanty		,,
4	Alpecin - Deceuninck		,,
5	Lotto		,,
6	Wagner Bazin WB		,,
7	Movistar Team		,,
8	Pauwels Sauzen - Cibel Clementines		,,
9	Lidl - Trek		,,
10	Israel - Premier Tech		,,
14	Team Picnic PostNL		,,

18th June – Stage 1: Merelbeke-Melle – Knokke-Heist

Baloise Belgium Tour got underway on Wednesday afternoon with a flat stage to Knokke-Heist. With a breakaway out front, the Team Picnic PostNL squad remained in the peloton, looking to keep their powder dry for the finale. The early break was caught ahead of the golden kilometre where a battle for bonus seconds ensued, before another duo then went clear. However, the bunch were always in control and reeled them in.

Coming into the last five kilometres the team moved forwards well and held their position at the front of the peloton, trying to keep out of any potential crashes as best as possible. Going under the flamme rouge last lead-out Nils Eekhoff was in third wheel and came round the last corner with sprint finisher Casper Van Uden in tow. Eeekhoff used the others in front of him and then hit out and opened up the lead-out, but just as Van Uden looked to start his sprint he dropped his chain. Quickly getting it back on, he continued to push for the line but by that point others had more momentum and it would be eighth place on the day for Van Uden and the team.

Van Uden expressed: “The boys did a good job posting Nils and me all day. In the final the lead out was really good and we stayed out of trouble but when I launched my sprint, my chain came off. I could get it back on quickly but by then I had lost some momentum. The way we rode was good so we’ll look to our chances in the next days.”

Results

AV Speed: 44.957/H
Distance: 197.6KM
Vert meters: 673M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	4:23:43	-
2	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	,,	-
3	VERNON Ethan	Israel - Premier Tech	,,	-
8	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
23	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
76	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
93	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
119	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
125	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	4:23:33
2	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG	0:04
3	VERNON Ethan	Israel - Premier Tech	0:06
15	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL	0:10
30	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
78	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
95	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
119	VERMAERKE Kevin	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
125	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		30
2	MOLANO Juan Sebastián	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		25
3	VERNON Ethan	Israel - Premier Tech		22
8	VAN UDEN Casper	Team Picnic PostNL		12

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	TEUTENBERG Tim Torn	Lidl - Trek	4:23:43
2	VAN HAUTEGEM Leander	Wagner Bazin WB	,,
3	KOPECKÝ Matyáš	Team Novo Nordisk	,,
19	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
30	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	,,

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Team Flanders - Baloise		13:11:09
2	Intermarché - Wanty		,,
3	Wagner Bazin WB		,,
4	Pauwels Sauzen - Cibel Clementines		,,
5	Movistar Team		,,
6	Lotto		,,
7	Israel - Premier Tech		,,
8	Tarteletto - Isorex		,,
9	Team Novo Nordisk		,,
10	Team Picnic PostNL		,,

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