Belgium stuns the Netherlands at the European Championship: Van der Poel silenced, Kooij overpowered by Merlier

The European Championship concluded on Sunday with a 220-kilometer-long battle, centered around the big question: would it end in a sprint, or would some riders manage to prevent that? The sprinters clearly had the advantage in Flanders. The early climbs were insignificant, and the final section was designed for fast men. The only potential challenge lay in the middle section through Belgian Limburg, with its constant ups and downs, offering riders like Mathieu van der Poel a chance to make a difference.

After completing three local laps around the finish area in Hasselt, a breakaway group of five riders led the race as we headed towards the 'Limburg circuit.' They held a small lead, largely thanks to the efforts of France. Rémi Cavagna spent the opening hours at the front of the peloton, which was an odd move. One of the riders in the breakaway was Mathis Le Berre, who probably didn't feel very threatened, as Cavagna kept their maximum lead to just a minute and a half. Later, the Italians joined in to help with the chase.

As a result, the race headed into the local circuit in Limburg with the entire peloton still together. The circuit, which was completed three times, included two uphill cobbled sections named Manshoven and Op de Kriezel. After that, the pace picked up towards the Kolmontberg and Zammelenberg climbs—key spots for attacks, and that’s exactly what happened. Van der Poel launched his first attack 111 kilometers from the finish, and we saw the rainbow jersey try at least five or six more times. He was joined by expected and ideal allies, Mads Pedersen and Christophe Laporte, but Italy and Belgium, with Matteo Trentin and Edward Theuns, did an excellent job of shutting things down for a long time.

After the Dutch managed to create gaps multiple times with their superior numbers, a group of about 20 riders eventually broke away from the peloton. However, this group didn’t include any fast Belgians, which was bad news for Van der Poel. Jonathan Milan was also absent, causing the other Italians to stay on defense. It wasn’t until Pedersen’s umpteenth attack, 55 kilometers from the finish, that a group of six riders finally broke free with no major team blocks. Pedersen, Van der Poel, and Laporte were joined by Dutch rider Danny van Poppel, the strong Jonas Rutsch, and Arthur Kluckers.

The breakaway group built a lead of about 30 seconds, but with Italy and Belgium chasing, that was clearly not enough. Before entering the final two laps around Hasselt, the breakaway was neutralized, setting the stage for a long buildup to the anticipated sprint. Italy worked fully for Jonathan Milan, the Dutch shifted their focus to Olav Kooij, and the Belgians stuck to their pre-race plan: forming two short sprint trains for Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier.

As for attackers in the last 20 kilometers, Denmark relied on Kasper Asgreen and Søren Kragh Andersen to attempt something, but their efforts were futile. Italy had complete control, with Matteo Trentin in top form and two-time European champion Edoardo Affini (in time trial and Mixed Relay) having a stellar day. This set the stage for a royal sprint, with the two Belgian trains coming forward at the perfect moment. Philipsen’s train launched slightly too early, but Merlier’s executed flawlessly. Kooij came fast at the end but had to settle for second place, while Madis Mihkels surprisingly finished third.

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