Corbin Strong wins as IPT dominates Tour de Wallonie opener
A first victory of 2025 and a fifth of his career to date for Corbin Strong as the Kiwi and IPT started this year’s Tour de Wallonie in style on Saturday.
Strong took a stage win en route to finishing second overall in last year’s race, and he capped a dominant team performance by sprinting to victory on an uphill finish Nassogne.
IPT was notable for the way it controlled the peloton’s pace during the 183-kilometer stage, with Israeli champion Oded Kogut and recent IPT Academy graduate Floris Van Tricht contributing significantly on behalf of Strong. The day’s five-rider breakaway began to split in the closing 50 kilometers, before the final rider – Ludovic Robeet (COF) – was caught just over 2 kilometers from the line.
Strong started his sprint with 200 meters to go, and once he had hit the front he rode into the distance, with nobody ever looking like they would get on terms with him. The bonus seconds gained by the 25-year-old for the victory sees him lead the GC by four seconds over Rasmus Tiller, with Anders Foldager a further two seconds in arrears.
Strong says: “I felt very fortunate to ride with this group, everyone was committed and believed in me. I enjoyed today a lot and it’s a great feeling to pay the guys back for their work today.
”Hopefully we can carry this momentum through the rest of the week and continue to show how strong we are as a team.”
