Description
June 2, 2026
47th Ethias-Tour de Wallonie 2026 🇧🇪 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 2 – Jodoigne – Libramont-Chevigny : 192,1 km
Tour de Wallonie is a UCI ProSeries classification that unfolds across the rolling,
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June 2, 2026
47th Ethias-Tour de Wallonie 2026 🇧🇪 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 2 – Jodoigne – Libramont-Chevigny : 192,1 km
Tour de Wallonie is a UCI ProSeries classification that unfolds across the rolling, picturesque landscapes of Wallonia in southern Belgium, where the roads twist through a mix of dense forests, industrial valleys, and quaint villages perched on steep hillsides. The terrain is a relentless succession of short, punchy climbs and longer, gradual ascents, with gradients frequently reaching 8–12% on narrow, winding roads that test both power and precision. The climbs are often irregular, featuring steep ramps, false flats, and exposed sections where the wind can shift suddenly, adding an extra layer of difficulty. The descents are fast and technical, with tight corners and uneven surfaces demanding constant focus, while the flatter sections are rarely straightforward, as crosswinds sweep across the open farmland and industrial plains.
The race dynamics are shaped by these relentless climbs and the tactical battles they inspire, with attacks often launching on the steepest sections or during moments of vulnerability in the peloton. The final kilometers frequently feature a decisive climb or a fast, technical run-in through a Walloon town, where a reduced group of riders contests the line in a sprint or a solo escapee holds off the chasers by a slender margin. The Tour de Wallonie is a race that rewards explosiveness, tactical intelligence, and resilience, capturing the essence of Wallonia’s rugged and unpredictable roads.
Ben Oliver scored Modern Adventure’s first-ever win in Europe on stage 2 of the Tour de Wallonie, the New Zealander beating a host of bigger names to the line at the end of a grim stage to Libramont-Chevigny.
Lotto-Intermarché and NSN had controlled the peloton in the closing metres of the 191km stage to set things up for their fast finishers, Arnaud De Lie and Riley Sheehan.
However, it was Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe who set up the finishing sprint, with stage 1 winner Jordi Meeus the beneficiary of their lead out. But it wasn’t to be for the Belgian, who was swamped in the final dash for the line.
He was up front alongside De Lie, Sheehan, Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar), Kim Heiduk (Necompany Ineos), and Sente Sentjens (Alpecin-Premier Tech) as the sprint was launched. But coming up the barriers was Oliver, who picked just the right spot – and the right time – to come through and speed to the win.
Behind him, Sheehan, Sentjens, and Meeus crossed the line in third, fourth, and fifth, while Yorben Lauryssen (Tartoletto-Isorex) was best of the rest, having followed Oliver up the barriers to grab second place.
As a result of the stage and countback results from stage 1, Oliver now moves into the orange jersey of race leader over Meeus.
“It feels unreal to get the first European win with the boys. We’ve been gelling all year and it’s a wicked team to be a part of. To get a first win for the team over here is wicked,” Oliver said after the stage.
“It was like a long drag to the line, slightly uphill, and with pretty much no vision through the glasses with how wet it was. We just tried to stay together. Riley [Pickrell] and Paul [Wright] saved me with a kilometre to go when I unclipped with a bit of a collision. They got me back in, so I had to finish it off for them.
“To be honest, we came here just looking for a stage win. We’ve been knocking on the door all year in Europe to get a win and then we play it day-by-day.
“We had the boss man George [Hincapie] here for the first two days, so we had to get a win for him early on.”
A second sprint finish in two days at the Tour de Wallonie had been on the cards from the outset of the stage from Jodoigne.
Six men still went up the road though, with Asbjøn Hellemose (Jayco-AlUla), joined in the breakaway by Anton Lennemann (Bike Aid), Matteo Malotte (Color Code-Alu Center), Matthew Kingston (Kg.K Vis-Costruzioni e Ambiente), Iben Rommelaere (Tartoletto-Isorex), and Kévin Avoine (Van Rysel-Roubaix).
Of course, they wouldn’t make it to the finish, with Kingston and Lennemann the first two to drop with just over 80km to run. The remainder of the move kept going until the 40km mark before more dropped back, leaving just Avoine.
The Frenchman managed to survive until 24km to go, at which point the sprinter’s teams – a mix of squads, including Red Bull, NSN, Lotto, and Netcompany Ineos – took over.
From there, it was those teams – plus Jayco-AlUla and Alpecin-Premier Tech – who worked on the front, and despite a handful of attacks at the 11km mark, it was all set for the finishing sprint in the heavy rain.
Results :
 ME - Stage 2 </strong> - Jodoigne - Libramont-Chevigny : 192,1 km
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Tour de Wallonie is a UCI ProSeries classification that unfolds across the rolling, picturesque landscapes of Wallonia in southern Belgium, where the roads twist through a mix of dense forests, industrial valleys, and quaint villages perched on steep hillsides. The terrain is a relentless succession of short, punchy climbs and longer, gradual ascents, with gradients frequently reaching 8–12% on narrow, winding roads that test both power and precision. The climbs are often irregular, featuring steep ramps, false flats, and exposed sections where the wind can shift suddenly, adding an extra layer of difficulty. The descents are fast and technical, with tight corners and uneven surfaces demanding constant focus, while the flatter sections are rarely straightforward, as crosswinds sweep across the open farmland and industrial plains.
The race dynamics are shaped by these relentless climbs and the tactical battles they inspire, with attacks often launching on the steepest sections or during moments of vulnerability in the peloton. The final kilometers frequently feature a decisive climb or a fast, technical run-in through a Walloon town, where a reduced group of riders contests the line in a sprint or a solo escapee holds off the chasers by a slender margin. The Tour de Wallonie is a race that rewards explosiveness, tactical intelligence, and resilience, capturing the essence of Wallonia’s rugged and unpredictable roads.
Ben Oliver scored Modern Adventure's first-ever win in Europe on stage 2 of the Tour de Wallonie, the New Zealander beating a host of bigger names to the line at the end of a grim stage to Libramont-Chevigny.
Lotto-Intermarché and NSN had controlled the peloton in the closing metres of the 191km stage to set things up for their fast finishers, Arnaud De Lie and Riley Sheehan.
However, it was Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe who set up the finishing sprint, with stage 1 winner Jordi Meeus the beneficiary of their lead out. But it wasn't to be for the Belgian, who was swamped in the final dash for the line.
He was up front alongside De Lie, Sheehan, Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar), Kim Heiduk (Necompany Ineos), and Sente Sentjens (Alpecin-Premier Tech) as the sprint was launched. But coming up the barriers was Oliver, who picked just the right spot – and the right time – to come through and speed to the win.
Behind him, Sheehan, Sentjens, and Meeus crossed the line in third, fourth, and fifth, while Yorben Lauryssen (Tartoletto-Isorex) was best of the rest, having followed Oliver up the barriers to grab second place.
As a result of the stage and countback results from stage 1, Oliver now moves into the orange jersey of race leader over Meeus.
"It feels unreal to get the first European win with the boys. We've been gelling all year and it's a wicked team to be a part of. To get a first win for the team over here is wicked," Oliver said after the stage.
"It was like a long drag to the line, slightly uphill, and with pretty much no vision through the glasses with how wet it was. We just tried to stay together. Riley [Pickrell] and Paul [Wright] saved me with a kilometre to go when I unclipped with a bit of a collision. They got me back in, so I had to finish it off for them.
"To be honest, we came here just looking for a stage win. We've been knocking on the door all year in Europe to get a win and then we play it day-by-day.
"We had the boss man George [Hincapie] here for the first two days, so we had to get a win for him early on."
A second sprint finish in two days at the Tour de Wallonie had been on the cards from the outset of the stage from Jodoigne.
Six men still went up the road though, with Asbjøn Hellemose (Jayco-AlUla), joined in the breakaway by Anton Lennemann (Bike Aid), Matteo Malotte (Color Code-Alu Center), Matthew Kingston (Kg.K Vis-Costruzioni e Ambiente), Iben Rommelaere (Tartoletto-Isorex), and Kévin Avoine (Van Rysel-Roubaix).
Of course, they wouldn't make it to the finish, with Kingston and Lennemann the first two to drop with just over 80km to run. The remainder of the move kept going until the 40km mark before more dropped back, leaving just Avoine.
The Frenchman managed to survive until 24km to go, at which point the sprinter's teams – a mix of squads, including Red Bull, NSN, Lotto, and Netcompany Ineos – took over.
From there, it was those teams – plus Jayco-AlUla and Alpecin-Premier Tech – who worked on the front, and despite a handful of attacks at the 11km mark, it was all set for the finishing sprint in the heavy rain.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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