Berckmoes delivers victory for Lotto in queen stage in Baloise Belgium Tour, Baroncini takes leader’s jersey by just 2 seconds

After Friday’s time trial, where Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) had surprisingly claimed the overall lead, Saturday brought the queen stage. With the familiar finish in Durbuy and nearly 3,000 meters of elevation, the stage offered ample opportunity for the stronger classics-style riders to make their move. That would normally include Thibau Nys, but the Lidl-Trek rider had fallen ill and was forced to abandon.

A group of five riders escaped from the start in Durbuy, including Gianni Marchand (Tarteletto), Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies), Michiel Hillen (Baloise Glowi Lions), Axel Huens (Unibet Tietema Rockets), and Tom Portsmouth (Wagner Bazin WB). But the breakaway wasn’t given much leeway, no more than 3 minutes. It quickly became clear, around 80 kilometers from the finish, that the favorites were ready to light things up. A group of about 15 riders broke clear, and these weren’t just any names.

Hayter was part of the move, joined by Huub Artz (Intermarché-Wanty), Filippo Baroncini (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Marco Frigo (Israel – Premier Tech), Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto), Carlos Canal, and Orluis Aular (Movistar). A strong group, but Alpecin-Deceuninck had missed the break. That meant it was up to them to keep the escapees within reach, causing the race to stretch and compress like an accordion.

With 45 kilometers to go, the riders still had one lap to complete. That was the moment for Aular to launch an attack. The Venezuelan opened a nice little gap on his chasers. Behind him, the peloton, led by INEOS Grenadiers, closed in on the chasing group, which included Berckmoes, Baroncini, and Frigo. They bridged across to Aular, and Baroncini, just 17 seconds behind Hayter in the general classification, was now the most dangerous threat. Soudal Quick-Step, however, stayed passive in the chase.

It was left to INEOS and Intermarché-Wanty to do the work, while Jasper Philipsen remained tucked in comfortably. In the final kilometers, he had to respond to attacks himself, including one from Luca Van Boven, after Intermarché had worked so hard. Meanwhile, Baroncini picked up six bonus seconds in the Golden Kilometer, but the peloton was closing in fast. Frigo attacked just before the last intermediate sprint to grab more time bonuses.

The Italian has a big engine and opened up a solid gap. The trio behind couldn’t close in on the powerful leader, while chaos erupted in what remained of the peloton. Attacks shattered the bunch, making it tough for anyone still chasing the stage win. Philipsen was forced to respond himself multiple times, and Hayter began to struggle, often stuck at the back of the group.

Thanks to good cooperation, Baroncini and company eventually bridged back to Frigo. Would the quartet battle it out for the stage win? It was going to be tight. 20 seconds... 15 seconds... their lead wasn’t huge. But in the final kilometers, it became clear, they were going to make it. On the Mur de Durbuy, Baroncini pushed hard with the GC in mind, but it was Berckmoes who launched the sprint first. He was clearly the strongest, taking the win ahead of Frigo and Aular. The peloton arrived 16 seconds later, meaning Baroncini claimed the overall lead.