Ghent cyclist Jenno Berckmoes won the second edition of the Muur Classic, held on Wednesday in Geraardsbergen, East Flanders.
The 23-year-old Belgian, who is a member of the Lotto Dstny team, battled for 180.2 kilometres and emerged victorious in a sprint to the finish. Coming in second was Norweigian sprinter Tobias Halland Joannessen of Uno-X Mobility, followed by Swiss racer Fabio Christen from Q36.5 Pro Cycling.
The other Belgian riders making it into the top ten were Lionel Taminiaux, Tom Van Asbroeck, Milan Menten and Jenthe Biermans, who bagged the 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th spots respectively.
Berckmoes secured his second career victory after winning the fifth stage of the International Week of Coppi and Bartali in March.
The pivotal point of the race was the Muur van Geraardsbergen, a gruelling climb which the racers had to scale three times after 85, 115 and 146 kilometres into the route.
Berckmoes’s victory follows the triumph of Italian cyclist Filippo Magli, winner of the inaugural Muur Classic in 2023.
The Muur Classic replaced the Grand Prix de la Ville de Grammont, the oldest Belgian cycling race, which ended in 2022. Upgraded from the International Cycling Union’s 1.2 category last year, the Muur now ranks in the 1.1 category.
