Jordi Meeus delivers the win for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at the Brussels Cycling Classic

The Brussels Cycling Classic was won by Jordi Meeus. The sprinter from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe beat Milan Fretin (Cofidis) in the sprint. Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team) completed the podium.

The Brussels Cycling Classic is one of a number of one-day races in Belgium in mid-June. On Saturday there was already the Heistse Pijl, so it was no surprise that many riders stayed in the country for the race around Brussels. The sprinters sensed their chance in the capital, but it was not necessarily going to be that simple.

Riders such as Tim Merlier, Dylan Groenewegen, André Greipel and Tom Boonen have all won here before, but attackers have also found success. Taco van der Hoorn won in 2022, and two years later it was Jonas Abrahamsen who took the victory. The 2026 edition also featured 2,000 metres of climbing, helped by three passages over the Muur van Geraardsbergen.

A strong five-man breakaway went clear after about fifty kilometres of racing. Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step) was there, along with Titouan Fontaine (Groupama-FDJ), Sébastien Grignard (Lotto-Intermarché), Henrik Pedersen (Uno-X Mobility) and Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor). Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies) tried to bridge across, but ended up in a chasse patate and had to give up the chase.

The Kapelmuur was supposed to create differences, but produced little. Mayrhofer did lose contact there from the breakaway, but the peloton remained calm: the sprint teams were controlling things. On the final passage of the Muur, the bunch finally split in two, giving us an interesting situation. Could the sprinters make it back?

Among those who missed the split was Jordi Meeus of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. His team-mate and fellow sprinter Danny van Poppel survived the selection, however. The gaps were minimal, though, and despite several efforts from Lotto, the chasing group managed to get back together with around forty kilometres to go.

With few notable obstacles left on the road, the outlook for the attackers looked bleak. The sprint teams now had the race firmly under control. Of the early escapees, only Casper Pedersen, Henrik Pedersen and Grignard were still left in front. Over the final thirty kilometres, they defended a lead of fifty seconds.

That was, of course, far too little to hold off the hungry wolves in the peloton. With fifteen kilometres to go, the three were reeled in. Several attacks followed immediately. Jonas Geens (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) and Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X) all tried their luck. Thanks in part to the efforts of Laurance Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), however, none of them got away.

A sprint therefore became inevitable, with the usual chaos that comes with it. A heavy crash took place a few kilometres from the finish. The favourites came through unscathed. The same was true for most riders in another crash, just as they entered the final kilometre. It was then Meeus who narrowly beat Fretin in a head-to-head sprint.