For the first time in years, the spring classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne ended in a classic mass sprint on the iconic Brugsesteenweg. Jasper Philipsen once again proved his class and gave himself a victory bouquet as a birthday present. The Belgian sprint bomb beat Olav Kooij and Hugo Hofstetter at the finish.
A race with many attacks, but without escape
The peloton remained closed for a long time, despite some early attack attempts. After more than 40 kilometers, a group of seven riders managed to break away: Dries De Bondt, Huub Artz, Ward Vanhoof, Marius Mayhofer, Tomáš Kopecky, Ceriel Desal and Axandre Van Petegem quickly gained a lead of almost five minutes.
The chase got underway when Timo Kielich, Lewis Askey and Jhonatan Narváez took the jump 90 kilometers from the finish. The lead of the breakaway group shrank to three minutes. However, mechanical problems forced Kielich to drop out, while Tim Wellens and Jonas Abrahamsen broke away from the peloton on the cobbles of Mont Saint Laurent. Although they briefly gave hope for a successful counterattack, everything melted together again.
With 35 kilometers still to go, De Bondt, Wellens, Desal and Mayhofer tried again to make a decisive move. They held out until after the first passage at the finish, but could not prevent the peloton from reeling them in.
Philipsen leaves no doubt
With all attackers caught, the road was clear for the fast men. Kaden Groves set up a perfect lead-out for Jasper Philipsen, who gave his competitors no chance. Olav Kooij sprinted to second place, while Hugo Hofstetter completed the podium.
After years of racing with late attacks or solo victories, the sprinters got their way this year. And Philipsen once again proved why he belongs to the absolute world elite.
Discover the complete honor roll
Curious about all previous winners of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne? View here the complete honor roll and be inspired by the impressive history of our race.
We are already looking forward to a new chapter in the rich tradition of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. See you next year on the Brugsesteenweg!
