Description
May 3, 2026
8th Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic 2026 🇧🇪 (1.1) ME – Marche-en-Famenne – Marche-en-Famenne : 186,7 km
Famenne Ardenne Classic is a UCI 1.1 classification that unfurls across the rugged,
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May 3, 2026
8th Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic 2026 🇧🇪 (1.1) ME – Marche-en-Famenne – Marche-en-Famenne : 186,7 km
Famenne Ardenne Classic is a UCI 1.1 classification that unfurls across the rugged, forested hills of the Belgian Ardennes, where the roads twist and turn through a landscape of steep valleys, dense woodlands, and small, picturesque villages, their stone houses and narrow streets adding to the race’s relentless challenge. The terrain is a relentless succession of short, sharp climbs and fast, technical descents, their gradients rarely dipping below 6% and often spiking into double digits, forcing riders to constantly adapt their rhythm as the road snakes through the undulating countryside. The climbs, though brief, are punishing, their slopes lined with spectators who stand shoulder-to-shoulder, their cheers echoing through the trees as the peloton fractures under the pressure of repeated accelerations. The descents are equally demanding, their tight bends and loose gravel requiring precision and nerve, while the flatter sections are narrow and exposed, the wind cutting across the open ridges and turning the race into a tactical battle for position. The race dynamics are shaped by these climbs, with attacks launching on the steepest ramps, the peloton thinning as the weaker riders are dropped in the wake of the relentless pace. The finish often arrives after a final, lung-searing ascent or a fast, technical descent into a village square, where a reduced bunch sprints for victory, or a lone rider who has escaped the chaos holds off the charging pack by a handful of seconds, the late afternoon light filtering through the trees as the race reaches its climax.
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) picked up his first victory of 2026 with a grinding sprint in a thrilling climax to the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Belgian has been struggling for form all season but produced one of his characteristic uphill-drag sprint finishes to claim his third victory in the past four editions of the Belgian one-day race.
It was a convincing victory, with Jens Verbrugghe (NSN Development) finishing in the slipstream for the runner-up spot and Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello-Q36.5) rounding out the podium.
But it could all have been so different. For a while, it didn’t look like De Lie and his rivals would get the chance to sprint for victory at all, as the last three survivors from the day’s breakaway survived almost all the way to the line.
Cresting the Côte de Roy (3.4km at 3.9%) for the fourth and final time on the four laps of the finishing circuit, that comprised most of the 186km route, a trio had 30 seconds in hand: Ryan Gal (Metec-Solarwatt-Mantel), Filippo d’Aiutio (General Store-Essegibi-F.Lli Curia), and Maxence Place (Aarco).
Several kilometres later, with just 5km remaining, that gap was unchaged, as De Lie’s Lotto-Intermarché team – who’d worked all day – left it to the other teams to chase. The deficit was still 20 seconds as the leading trio entered the final kilometre, setting up a dramatic finale.
The escapees could not afford a moment’s hesitation, and though they didn’t fully play cat-and-mouse, there was a shared reluctance to lead out the sprint, which led the bunch back into the game.
Unibet-Rose Rockets led the charge from behind, with De Lie poised in the wheel of their sprinter Joren Bloem. They passed the breakaway riders just 150 metres shy of the line, and De Lie hit the front with 100 metres to go, powering all the way to the line.
Results :
 ME </strong> - Marche-en-Famenne - Marche-en-Famenne : 186,7 km
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Famenne Ardenne Classic is a UCI 1.1 classification that unfurls across the rugged, forested hills of the Belgian Ardennes, where the roads twist and turn through a landscape of steep valleys, dense woodlands, and small, picturesque villages, their stone houses and narrow streets adding to the race’s relentless challenge. The terrain is a relentless succession of short, sharp climbs and fast, technical descents, their gradients rarely dipping below 6% and often spiking into double digits, forcing riders to constantly adapt their rhythm as the road snakes through the undulating countryside. The climbs, though brief, are punishing, their slopes lined with spectators who stand shoulder-to-shoulder, their cheers echoing through the trees as the peloton fractures under the pressure of repeated accelerations. The descents are equally demanding, their tight bends and loose gravel requiring precision and nerve, while the flatter sections are narrow and exposed, the wind cutting across the open ridges and turning the race into a tactical battle for position. The race dynamics are shaped by these climbs, with attacks launching on the steepest ramps, the peloton thinning as the weaker riders are dropped in the wake of the relentless pace. The finish often arrives after a final, lung-searing ascent or a fast, technical descent into a village square, where a reduced bunch sprints for victory, or a lone rider who has escaped the chaos holds off the charging pack by a handful of seconds, the late afternoon light filtering through the trees as the race reaches its climax.
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) picked up his first victory of 2026 with a grinding sprint in a thrilling climax to the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Belgian has been struggling for form all season but produced one of his characteristic uphill-drag sprint finishes to claim his third victory in the past four editions of the Belgian one-day race.
It was a convincing victory, with Jens Verbrugghe (NSN Development) finishing in the slipstream for the runner-up spot and Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello-Q36.5) rounding out the podium.
But it could all have been so different. For a while, it didn't look like De Lie and his rivals would get the chance to sprint for victory at all, as the last three survivors from the day's breakaway survived almost all the way to the line.
Cresting the Côte de Roy (3.4km at 3.9%) for the fourth and final time on the four laps of the finishing circuit, that comprised most of the 186km route, a trio had 30 seconds in hand: Ryan Gal (Metec-Solarwatt-Mantel), Filippo d'Aiutio (General Store-Essegibi-F.Lli Curia), and Maxence Place (Aarco).
Several kilometres later, with just 5km remaining, that gap was unchaged, as De Lie's Lotto-Intermarché team – who'd worked all day – left it to the other teams to chase. The deficit was still 20 seconds as the leading trio entered the final kilometre, setting up a dramatic finale.
The escapees could not afford a moment's hesitation, and though they didn't fully play cat-and-mouse, there was a shared reluctance to lead out the sprint, which led the bunch back into the game.
Unibet-Rose Rockets led the charge from behind, with De Lie poised in the wheel of their sprinter Joren Bloem. They passed the breakaway riders just 150 metres shy of the line, and De Lie hit the front with 100 metres to go, powering all the way to the line.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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