Kelderman animates Circuit Franco-Belge with long attack, Brennan sprints to fourteenth place

# Kelderman Energizes Circuit Franco-Belge with Bold Offensive, Brennan Finishes Fourteenth

In a fiercely contested Belgian semi-classic, the Circuit Franco-Belge saw riders tackling a demanding 195-kilometre route. Early in the race, a breakaway group was swiftly caught, prompting Team Visma | Lease a Bike to take charge. At around sixty kilometers from the finish, Menno Huising initiated a series of aggressive moves, which were soon followed by Wilco Kelderman as he responded to an attack by Leander Van Hautegem.

The duo successfully created a significant gap, and Kelderman soon opted to break away solo. This marked the Dutchman’s return after a crash in the second stage of the Giro d’Italia. Although he fought valiantly, his efforts were thwarted when he was caught just seventeen kilometers from the finish. A final attempt by Louis Barré to break away on the last climb also fell short.

As the race approached its climax, a reduced peloton readied themselves for a sprint finish. Filippo Fiorelli executed a timely lead-out for Matthew Brennan, positioning the young British rider well for the finale. However, despite the perfect setup, Brennan was unable to contend for victory, finishing fourteenth as Corbyn Strong crossed the line first.

Reflecting on the race, sports director Gaëtan Pons said, “We stuck completely to the plan we had made beforehand. We did almost everything perfectly today. With three (of the five) laps to go, we made the first break. Wilco took a serious lead, but we had expected more riders to go with him. We told Wilco to keep going in the hope that a small group would join him later. That happened, but unfortunately, the gap was too small to stay ahead.”

Pons elaborated on Barré’s attempt, noting, “On the final climb, Louis launched another good attack. It’s a climb that suits him well, so we decided that he would try his luck here. Unfortunately, he couldn’t pull away. After that, the focus shifted entirely to a sprint with Matthew. Filippo did a good lead-out and ensured that Matthew was well positioned.”

Describing Brennan’s sprint, Pons commented, “With 200 metres to go, he made his first move. When he went for his second sprint, he realized his legs were starting to give out. Unfortunately, he wasn’t strong enough to sprint for the win.”

### Circuit Franco-Belge Results

1. Corbin Strong (NSN Cycling Team) – 04:32:18
2. Anders Foldager (Team Jayco AlUla) – +00:00:00
3. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) – +00:00:00
14. Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:03
34. Menno Huising (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00:27
47. Filippo Fiorelli (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +01:26
51. Louis Barré (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +01:26
54. Wilco Kelderman (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +01:26
55. Axel Zingle (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +01:32
59. Loe van Belle (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +01:37