Published on : 06/21/2026
The final stage of the 2026 Baloise Belgium Tour played out on the rolling roads from Gingelom to Hoeilaart, with Alex Aranburu wearing the leader's jersey. Over these 183.6 km, the slightly hilly finale offered a window for attackers, but it ultimately came down to a sprint, favouring the sprinters' teams.
The final stage of the 2026 Baloise Belgium Tour played out on the rolling roads from Gingelom to Hoeilaart, with Alex Aranburu wearing the leader's jersey. Over these 183.6 km, the slightly hilly finale offered a window for attackers, but it ultimately came down to a sprint, favouring the sprinters' teams.
After a 7-rider breakaway was caught 40 km from the finish, the race tightened up in the closing kilometres. Winner of the final Golden KM with 16 km to go, Alex Aranburu briefly held the virtual lead by just one second, before a mass sprint, won by Jasper Philipsen, tipped the overall standings in his favour.
The team fought until the very end on this final stage. Winner of the final Golden KM, Alex Aranburu gave everything to defend his leader's jersey, but unfortunately it wasn't enough, he eventually finished 3rd in the overall standings.
Reaction from Sébastien Hinault, sports director:
"There's naturally some disappointment when you're so close to the win. The team manoeuvred really well around Alex Aranburu, and it came down to very little. He won the final Golden KM but lost a second on the overall bonus seconds. After that, all we could do was hope Jasper Philipsen or Jenno Berckmoes wouldn't end up on the podium if it came to a sprint, unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. We knew it would be tough against sprinters of that calibre. Still, the week's overall result is a positive one, with a stage win and a place on the overall podium. I want to highlight the excellent work of the teammates around Alex."