No one else in the photo! Magnier charged like a bull to win Binche-Chimay-Binche

For cobblestone enthusiasts, there’s usually not much to look forward to in the autumn, but Binche-Chimay-Binche is a delightful change of pace.

Every year in Wallonia, the race full of twists and turns and a challenging finish in Binche, featuring cobblestones and uphill sections draws the crowds. Last year, Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) was the strongest rider, and he was back again this year.

But there was no shortage of competition: powerhouses like Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), and Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) were also in the field. It promised to be a great show!

A four-man breakaway group, consisting of Siebe Deweirdt (Flanders-Baloise), Paul Conor (TotalEnergies), Victor Hannes (Aarco), and Rokas Domaitis (Energus), broke away early.

Things remained quiet for a long time, but when the race reached the local circuit in Binche, the action erupted once again. We saw breakaway after breakaway, and with about sixty kilometres to go, a dangerous group pulled away.

Among those we saw there were Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step), Axel Huens (Groupama-FDJ), and Tomas Kopecky (Unibet Rose Rockets).

They managed to catch up to the early breakaway group, but Lotto-Intermarché and Tudor sensed the danger. They closed the gap in one fell swoop.

Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike) also made his presence felt, but was unable to break away.

Magnier, perhaps the top favorite, took a hard fall with 40 kilometers to go. Fortunately, he was able to rejoin the pack. But the breakaways just kept coming at the front. With Lukas Kubis (Rockets), Laurenz Rex (Quick-Step), Toms Sjukins (Lidl-Trek), Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull), Erik Resell (Uno-X), and Matys Grisel (Lotto), there was once again a rock-solid group leading the race.

This time it was Uno-X Mobility that closed the gap, after which Jonas Abrahamsen launched an attack, but it was Brennan who surprisingly countered. But when he was reeled in, a new group broke away. It included Laporte, Stuyven, and Lander Loockx (Rockets), among others, but the sprinter teams didn’t give them any room at all.

And so we reached the final climb as a full peloton. Lotto-Intermarché took control there with a massive surge. Only Magnier was still on the wheel of team leader Jenno Berckmoes, who was expertly set up by Lionel Taminiaux.

But Magnier was unstoppable. He launched his attack from a long way back and won by a wide margin.