Baloise Belgium Tour | Race Report

Baloise Belgium Tour

June 18, 2026

Stage 5: Gingelom -> Hoeilaart

The final stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour offered one last chance for the sprinters, although the rolling terrain and cobbled sectors also provided opportunities for attackers to shake up the race before the finish. Six riders formed the day’s breakaway early on, but the peloton kept the move under control and brought the final escapees back with 43 kilometres remaining. From there, the racing became increasingly aggressive. Attacks flew on the climbs and cobbled sectors as riders looked to avoid a sprint finish, but no move was able to establish a decisive advantage. That set up a reduced bunch sprint, where Jasper Philipsen proved the fastest on the day. For Team Picnic PostNL, Julius van den Berg was the first rider across the line.

Results

AV Speed: 45.071/H
Distance: 183.5KM
Vert meters: 1440M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Premier Tech	4:04:17.000	-
2	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto Intermarché	,,	-
3	KANTER Max	XDS Astana Team	,,	-
39	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	0:21.000	-
43	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	0:38.000	-
54	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	2:37.000	-
102	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	10:06.000	-
DNF	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL		-
DNF	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL		-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Premier Tech	20:43:26.000
2	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto Intermarché	0:05.000
3	ARANBURU Alex	Cofidis	0:09.000
45	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	10:43.000
48	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	11:09.000
70	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	22:41.000
93	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	30:50.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Premier Tech		89
2	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		80
3	KOOIJ Olav	Decathlon CMA CGM Team		72

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	ÁLVAREZ Héctor	Lidl - Trek	20:43:59.000
2	L'HOTE Antoine	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	3:06.000
3	VANDENBERGHE Viktor	Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team	9:56.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Alpecin - Premier Tech		62:11:30.000
2	XDS Astana Team		0:39.000
3	Unibet Rose Rockets		0:50.000
4	TotalEnergies		1:23.000
5	Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team		2:18.000
6	NSN Cycling Team		4:36.000
7	Soudal Quick-Step		6:05.000
8	Movistar Team		10:31.000
9	Team Flanders - Baloise		10:47.000
10	Lotto Intermarché		11:40.000
19	Team Picnic PostNL		43:21.000

Stage 4: Begijnendijk-Betekom -> Aarschot

Stage 4 of the Baloise Belgium Tour was expected to end in a bunch sprint and, despite a committed breakaway effort, that’s exactly how the day unfolded. Six riders formed the break of the day and gradually built an advantage of up to 2’40”. The peloton kept the move under control throughout, and with the sprint teams firmly in control, the gap steadily came down over the closing kilometres. The final breakaway riders were caught with just two kilometres remaining, setting up the anticipated sprint to the line. In the bunch sprint, Olav Kooij proved fastest to take the stage victory. Team Picnic PostNL worked to keep Frits Biesterbos well positioned for the finale, but he got boxed in during the final few hundred metres and was unable to launch his sprint. He eventually crossed the line in 16th place.

Results

AV Speed: 44.425/H
Distance: 183.4KM
Vert meters: 1220M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	KOOIJ Olav	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	4:07:42.000	-
2	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	,,	-
3	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Premier Tech	,,	-
16	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
44	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
64	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
102	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	0:40.000	-
134	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	9:31.000	-
141	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	11:49.000	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	ARANBURU Alex	Cofidis	16:39:21.000
2	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Premier Tech	0:02.000
3	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto Intermarché	,,
49	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	10:10.000
51	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	10:19.000
94	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	19:52.000
100	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	20:32.000
141	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	44:24.000
142	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	44:36.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		80
2	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Premier Tech		59
3	KOOIJ Olav	Decathlon CMA CGM Team		55

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	ÁLVAREZ Héctor	Lidl - Trek	16:39:42.000
2	L'HOTE Antoine	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	0:16.000
3	DE BRUYCKERE Kay	Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team	9:49.000
22	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	44:03.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Alpecin - Premier Tech		49:58:33.000
2	Lotto Intermarché		0:41.000
3	XDS Astana Team		0:45.000
4	Unibet Rose Rockets		0:50.000
5	TotalEnergies		1:23.000
6	Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team		1:40.000
7	NSN Cycling Team		1:52.000
8	Soudal Quick-Step		1:54.000
9	Movistar Team		9:59.000
10	Lidl - Trek		10:37.000
20	Team Picnic PostNL		39:51.000

Stage 3: Durbuy -> Durbuy

Stage 3 of the Baloise Belgium Tour brought the riders onto the infamous Durbuy stage, with the day’s route expected to play an important role in shaping the general classification. By the start of the final lap, the peloton had brought everything back together. The pace remained high over the closing kilometres as teams looked to create opportunities on the climbs, but no attack was able to gain a decisive advantage. The stage ultimately came down to a reduced sprint, where Alex Aranburu proved strongest on the day. For Team Picnic PostNL, attention now turns towards another potential sprint opportunity on Saturday.

Results

AV Speed: 41.945/H
Distance: 173KM
Vert meters: 2661M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	ARANBURU Alex	Cofidis	4:07:28.000	-
2	ASKEY Lewis	NSN Cycling Team	,,	-
3	CANAL Carlos	Movistar Team	,,	-
51	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	10:00.000	-
55	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	10:09.000	-
118	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	19:42.000	-
124	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
126	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	19:47.000	-
142	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	22:10.000	-
DNF	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL		-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	ARANBURU Alex	Cofidis	12:31:39.000
2	BERCKMOES Jenno	Lotto Intermarché	0:02.000
3	HERMANS Quinten	Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	0:03.000
51	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	10:10.000
53	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	10:19.000
101	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	19:52.000
103	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
134	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	32:35.000
139	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	35:05.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		55
2	JEANNIÈRE Emilien	TotalEnergies		41
3	KANTER Max	XDS Astana Team		41

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	ÁLVAREZ Héctor	Lidl - Trek	12:32:00.000
2	L'HOTE Antoine	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	0:16.000
3	VAN VLIET Michiel	Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	9:26.000
20	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	32:14.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Alpecin - Premier Tech		37:35:37.000
2	Lotto Intermarché		0:34.000
3	XDS Astana Team		0:43.000
4	Unibet Rose Rockets		0:48.000
5	TotalEnergies		1:17.000
6	Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team		1:36.000
7	NSN Cycling Team		1:42.000
8	Soudal Quick-Step		1:50.000
9	Movistar Team		9:51.000
10	Lidl - Trek		10:27.000
20	Team Picnic PostNL		39:41.000

Stage 2: Merelbeke-Melle -> Knokke-Heist

As expected, Stage 2 of the Baloise Belgium Tour came down to a battle between the sprinters on the fast roads into Knokke-Heist. Six riders formed the day’s breakaway early on, but the peloton always kept the move under control. The gap steadily came down throughout the afternoon before the attackers were caught with nine kilometres remaining. With the break neutralised, the sprint teams moved to the front to begin the fight for position. Team Picnic PostNL did a strong job of looking after Frits Biesterbos, keeping him well placed as the race headed into the crucial final kilometres. The speed and technical nature of the run-in meant the sprint trains quickly became disrupted, with no team able to maintain a fully organised lead-out. In the resulting chaos, Biesterbos battled hard to the line and finished just outside the top 10.

Results

AV Speed: 45.862/H
Distance: 197.6KM
Vert meters: 647M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	4:18:31.000	-
2	KOOIJ Olav	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	,,	-
3	PHILIPSEN Jasper	Alpecin - Premier Tech	,,	-
13	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
47	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
80	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
107	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
119	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
121	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
145	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	2:22.000	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	8:24:05.000
2	GIRMAY Biniam	NSN Cycling Team	0:06.000
3	KORTLEVE Bart	Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:08.000
14	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	0:16.000
77	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
90	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
102	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
123	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	10:31.000
139	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	15:24.000
151	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	20:11.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		55
2	KANTER Max	XDS Astana Team		41
3	GIRMAY Biniam	NSN Cycling Team		30

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	KORTLEVE Bart	Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	8:24:13.000
2	VANDENBERGHE Viktor	Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team	,,
3	NUYENS Wies	Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team	0:05.000
19	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	10:23.000
25	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	20:03.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Lotto Intermarché		25:13:03.000
2	XDS Astana Team		,,
3	Alpecin - Premier Tech		,,
4	TotalEnergies		,,
5	Uno-X Mobility		,,
6	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		,,
7	NSN Cycling Team		,,
8	Lidl - Trek		,,
9	Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team		,,
10	Cofidis		,,
20	Team Picnic PostNL		,,

Stage 1: Scherpenheuvel-Zichem -> Scherpenheuvel-Zichem

Over at the Baloise Belgium Tour, the mostly flat roads played host to the first expected sprint finish of the race on the opening day of the race. Team Picnic PostNL rallied well around each other, looking after sprint finisher Frits Biesterbos throughout the day. Coming into the finale it was chaotic and the proverbial washing machine effect was on full display. The team managed to find each other in the last kilometre and position Biesterbos who gave it his best effort in the finale to finish just outside the top ten.

Results

AV Speed: 45.958/H
Distance: 188.3KM
Vert meters: 1213M

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	GIRMAY Biniam	NSN Cycling Team	4:05:50.000	-
2	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step	,,	-
3	KANTER Max	XDS Astana Team	,,	-
12	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
70	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
73	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
101	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	,,	-
128	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	10:15.000	-
148	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	15:08.000	-
152	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	17:33.000	-

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	GIRMAY Biniam	NSN Cycling Team	4:05:40.000
2	KORTLEVE Bart	Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:02.000
3	MELLAERTS Robbe	Baloise Verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions	0:03.000
15	BIESTERBOS Frits	Team Picnic PostNL	0:10.000
70	EEKHOFF Nils	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
72	DEGENKOLB John	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
100	VAN DEN BERG Julius	Team Picnic PostNL	,,
128	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	10:25.000
148	ROOSEN Timo	Team Picnic PostNL	15:18.000
152	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	17:43.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	GIRMAY Biniam	NSN Cycling Team		30
2	MERLIER Tim	Soudal Quick-Step		25
3	KANTER Max	XDS Astana Team		22

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	KORTLEVE Bart	Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	4:05:42.000
2	NUYENS Wies	Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team	0:05.000
3	DE SCHUYTENEER Steffen	Lotto Intermarché	0:08.000
21	VAN REES Christiaan	Team Picnic PostNL	10:23.000
24	VAN DER WERFF Thom	Team Picnic PostNL	17:41.000

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time	Points
1	Lotto Intermarché		12:17:30.000
2	XDS Astana Team		,,
3	TotalEnergies		,,
4	NSN Cycling Team		,,
5	Lidl - Trek		,,
6	Cofidis		,,
7	Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team		,,
8	Baloise Verzekeringen - Het Poetsbureau Lions		,,
9	Team Flanders - Baloise		,,
10	UAE Team Emirates - XRG		,,
18	Team Picnic PostNL		,,

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