American Riley Sheehan claims first win in three years as the Circuit de Wallonie makes its return

The Lotto Circuit de Wallonie has been won by Riley Sheehan. The American NSN Cycling Team rider proved convincingly the strongest in a heavily reduced sprint, after an attacking race from start to finish. Unibet Rose Rockets also made the podium, with Joren Bloem taking third.

With all eyes on the Giro d'Italia, Belgium also hosted a race on Thursday. The Lotto Circuit de Wallonie was back on the calendar after being cancelled in 2025 due to budgetary and logistical difficulties — and the organisers' promise to return in 2026 has been delivered on.

The race's comeback did not attract a field quite on a par with recent editions. Arnaud De Lie, Jordi Meeus and Christophe Laporte have all won the race before, but this year the line-up centred more on up-and-coming Belgian talent. Steffen de Schuyteneer led the Lotto-Intermarché charge, while Alpecin-Premier Tech brought multiple cards to the table in the form of Sente Sentjens, Simon Dehairs and Gerben Thijssen. The Unibet Rose Rockets were also present.

A five-man group broke clear from the gun, with Bram Dissel of Beat CC p/b Saxo the sole Dutch representative in the move. The break was kept on a tight leash by Lotto-Intermarché, NSN and Alpecin-Premier Tech, who never allowed it more than three minutes.

With 70 kilometres to go, Lotto-Intermarché threw a grenade into proceedings by driving hard through the hilltop section. The door immediately swung wide open at the back of the peloton — the signal for a succession of attacks that repeatedly split the field.

Ultimately it was Fred Wright (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Michiel Coppens (Beat CC p/b Saxo) who timed their move just right, building a lead of almost a minute before Lotto-Intermarché took control of the chase. Then, 25 kilometres from the line, Axel Källberg of Lucky Sport launched a counter-attack — but the Finn was quickly reeled in by the combined efforts of Alpecin-Premier Tech and Lotto-Intermarché.

Once NSN began contributing to the chase, Wright and Coppens' lead evaporated rapidly. At 10 kilometres, Wright shed his Belgian companion and pressed on alone. With five kilometres to go he was still only a handful of metres clear — but he made the peloton work hard for it. His teammate Frederik Frison also tried his luck from behind, but was caught quickly. A bunch sprint looked inevitable, though Frison's tempo in the chase shattered the peloton — and Sheehan, perfectly positioned, won the sprint with authority.