Renewi Tour
Stage 2: Blankenberge – Ardooie
Belgium
Thursday 21 August 2025
Renewi Tour: Merlier keeps the lead
Ardooie is one of the traditional finishes at the Renewi Tour, a town where the race has finished on numerous occasions, bringing the sprinters to the fore. It wasn’t any different this Thursday, when the peloton concluded there after a stage which should have been quiet, on paper, but turned out to be very stressful because of the wind.
As soon as the peloton caught the breakaway with 100 kilometers to go, numerous riders tried to split the bunch in the echelons, some of them even opening a gap. Soudal Quick-Step remained attentive the whole time, shutting down these attacks and keeping things together, even after the Green Kilometer, where the general classification riders fought for bonus seconds.
The stage continued to be a fast one, and this ended up taking its toll on some riders in the sprint, where the lead-out trains had a hard time organising themselves. Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) took the victory, while GC leader Tim Merlier finished sixth – a result which will see him start the stage to Geraardsbergen with the leader’s jersey on his shoulders.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
Race details
| 1 |
Olav Kooij Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
3:35:07 |
| 2 |
Pavel Bittner Team Picnic PostNL |
0:00 |
| 3 |
Arvid de Kleijn Tudor Pro Cycling Team |
0:00 |
| 4 |
Biniam Girmay Hailu Intermarché - Wanty |
0:00 |
| 5 |
Dylan Groenewegen Team Jayco AlUla |
0:00 |
| 6 |
Tim Merlier
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:00 |
| 7 |
Mike Teunissen XDS Astana Team |
0:00 |
| 8 |
Tord Gudmestad Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team |
0:00 |
| 9 |
Amaury Capiot |
0:00 |
| 10 |
Simon Dehairs Alpecin - Deceuninck |
0:00 |
| 68 |
Paul Magnier
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:00 |
| 71 |
Dries Van Gestel
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:00 |
| 72 |
Yves Lampaert
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:00 |
| 87 |
Bert Van Lerberghe
Soudal Quick-Step |
1:11 |
| 123 |
Warre Vangheluwe
Soudal Quick-Step |
4:55 |
| DNF |
Ayco Bastiaens
Soudal Quick-Step |
-03:35:07 |
| 1 |
Tim Merlier
Soudal Quick-Step |
7:15:02 |
| 2 |
Olav Kooij Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
0:00 |
| 3 |
Dries De Bondt Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team |
0:00 |
| 4 |
Rui Oliveira UAE Team Emirates - XRG |
0:02 |
| 5 |
Pavel Bittner Team Picnic PostNL |
0:04 |
| 6 |
Arnaud De Lie Lotto |
0:04 |
| 7 |
Arvid de Kleijn Tudor Pro Cycling Team |
0:06 |
| 8 |
Juan Sebastián Molano Benavides UAE Team Emirates - XRG |
0:06 |
| 9 |
Matej Mohorič Bahrain - Victorious |
0:07 |
| 10 |
Bastien Tronchon Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team |
0:07 |
| 65 |
Dries Van Gestel
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:10 |
| 66 |
Paul Magnier
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:10 |
| 67 |
Yves Lampaert
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:10 |
| 79 |
Bert Van Lerberghe
Soudal Quick-Step |
1:21 |
| 132 |
Warre Vangheluwe
Soudal Quick-Step |
18:53 |
| 1 |
Tim Merlier
Soudal Quick-Step |
45 pt |
| 2 |
Pavel Bittner Team Picnic PostNL |
44 pt |
| 3 |
Olav Kooij Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
43 pt |
| 4 |
Biniam Girmay Hailu Intermarché - Wanty |
36 pt |
| 5 |
Arnaud De Lie Lotto |
25 pt |
| 6 |
Arvid de Kleijn Tudor Pro Cycling Team |
22 pt |
| 7 |
Juan Sebastián Molano Benavides UAE Team Emirates - XRG |
22 pt |
| 8 |
Simon Dehairs Alpecin - Deceuninck |
20 pt |
| 9 |
Dylan Groenewegen Team Jayco AlUla |
17 pt |
| 10 |
Ben Turner INEOS Grenadiers |
15 pt |
| 1 |
Colby Simmons EF Education - EasyPost |
7:15:12 |
| 2 |
Tibor Del Grosso Alpecin - Deceuninck |
0:00 |
| 3 |
Pierre Gautherat Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team |
0:00 |
| 4 |
Paul Magnier
Soudal Quick-Step |
0:00 |
| 5 |
Michiel Lambrecht Wagner Bazin WB |
3:07 |
| 6 |
António Morgado UAE Team Emirates - XRG |
4:55 |
| 7 |
Milan Lanhove Team Flanders - Baloise |
4:55 |
| 8 |
Daniel Skerl Bahrain - Victorious |
4:55 |
| 9 |
Leander Van Hautegem Wagner Bazin WB |
6:10 |
| 10 |
Menno Huising Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
8:49 |
| 1 | Alpecin - Deceuninck | 21:45:36 |
| 2 | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | 0:00 |
| 3 | XDS Astana Team | 0:00 |
| 4 | Team Picnic PostNL | 0:00 |
| 5 | Team Jayco AlUla | 0:00 |
| 6 | EF Education - EasyPost | 0:00 |
| 7 | Groupama - FDJ | 0:00 |
| 8 | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | 0:00 |
| 9 | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | 0:00 |
| 10 | Bahrain - Victorious | 0:00 |
