Although the first two stages of the Renewi Tour were far from straightforward on Wednesday and Thursday, both ultimately came down to a bunch sprint. In the opening stage, Thibaud Gruel mixed it up with the fast men and secured 14th place, while his Italian teammate Matteo Milan claimed a very strong fourth place in the second round. It was his second WorldTour top-five finish of the season. The peloton is now about to face the traditional bergs stage.
For the first time since April, the WorldTour calendar brought the riders back to Belgium on Wednesday for the 2026 edition of the Renewi Tour. The action got underway around Diest, with a 191-kilometre route featuring no major climbs but made tougher by the weather conditions. “It was by no means an easy day because of the bad weather,” confirmed Frédéric Guesdon. “The guys hadn’t ridden in the rain for a long time, and on these narrow roads, with cobbled sections and a climb to tackle several times, it wasn’t easy to find their bearings again. We struggled a little to be present as a team throughout the day, and Matteo wasn’t able to be there for the final sprint.” The sprint almost failed to happen, in fact, as the day’s five-man breakaway held off the peloton until the final two kilometres. Thibaud Gruel eventually fought his way into the bunch sprint, finishing 14th. “He was in the mix, but he came up against riders who were stronger than him in the sprint,” Frédéric continued. “This was perhaps the stage that suited us least this week, but we avoided any crashes and were still on track in the overall classification, so it remained a decent day.”
“A good sign for what’s to come” – Frédéric Guesdon
After this demanding opening stage, Thibaud Gruel, Axel Huens, Clément Russo, Johan Jacobs and Kevin Geniets were still in the same time as the race leader Jonathan Milan, excluding time bonuses. On paper, the second stage to Ardooie presented even fewer obstacles than the first, with less than 500 metres of elevation gain. Once again, however, the race proved tougher than expected. “Everyone was nervous because we were starting by the coast and there was a lot of wind,” Frédéric explained. “On top of that, the start was delayed because of a crash during the neutralized section. The stage was shortened to 155 kilometres, and it turned into quite a difficult day because of the wind and all the changes of direction.” Three riders went clear during the opening part of the race, before a major mass crash caused some confusion with around 70 kilometres remaining. “It was a pretty exhausting stage mentally,” Frédéric admitted. “There was a real battle between the teams without sprinters and those who had one. With the wind and the fatigue from the previous day, some teams thought they could put the sprinter teams under pressure. That made for a very dynamic race all the way until 20 kilometres from the finish, when the sprinter teams finally won that battle.”
Despite the constant attacks, with Groupama-FDJ United remaining vigilant throughout, the day ultimately ended in a sprint involving around 100 riders. “Johan and Clément were there to position Matteo as well as possible, and they did a very good job,” said Frédéric. “After that, Matteo didn’t really make any mistakes. He timed his move back into position well and got onto Philipsen’s wheel just as he launched his sprint. He finished fourth, beaten by stronger riders and just a few centimeters short of third place.” Active in the closing metres, the Italian powered his way to his second WorldTour top-five finish of the season, following his third place at the UAE Tour. “It’s even more satisfying because the field of sprinters here is very strong,” Frédéric said. “It’s a good result for him. Physically, he still has room for improvement, but he is already capable of competing at the highest level. It’s a good sign for what’s to come.” Sprint opportunities are likely to be limited during the remainder of the Renewi Tour, which enters the heart of the race on Friday with the bergs stage, including the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen. “That is normally where the overall classification is decided, but it could be very open, and we’ll have to remain vigilant during the first part of the race, make sure we don’t miss the right move and race smartly,” Frédéric concluded. “I’m quite optimistic because we have highly motivated and fit riders like Thibaud and Axel, who can aim for a very good result both on the stage and in the overall classification.”
