"I could only dream of this" - First pro win for Belgian super-talent Jarno Widar at Tre Valli Varesine
Cycling
Jarno Widar is a former dominator of the under-23 field, but until this Tuesday afternoon, he was yet to take a win as an elite rider despite his natural talent. In style, he has done so at Tre Valli Varesine ahead of Tom Pidcock and Matteo Jorgenson.
On a day where Lotto-Intermarché finished second and third at Binche - Chimay - Binche, the team's second blocked thrived in Italy. With Jarno WIdar and Lennert van Eetvelt placing their focus on the Italian autumn classics, they managed to take the win on what might be the third biggest.
Jarno Widar had the legs to follow Briton Tom Pidcock and American Matteo Jorgenson, forming what would become the winning trio on a race that was very tactical in its final hour.
Widar won the final sprint between the three, letting a small gap go before launching his sprint from afar. "I knew I needed to go from the back and from far because I didn't want to close the gap because I was on 5 metres to let the gap and go at speed from the back," he said in an interview with CyclingPro.net.
"So I knew I needed to go on 250-270 metres to go and I knew I can hold the 20 second sprint quite good".
The tactic proved perfect, and he beat two of the best classics riders in the world to take his maiden pro win.
"I cannot believe it, it's incredible. I could only dream of this. I cannot thank my team enough and they always believe in me, I'm so happy".
Jarno Widar sprinted to victory at Tre Valli Varesine
Widar takes his first pro win after unlucky season
The Belgian barely raced in the sprint due to injury, and has had several illnesses change and affect his schedule throughout the season.
"It was a really difficult beginning of the season with sickness and injury. Then I came back strong in Suisse, struggling with the heat and then I became sick again. Then I went on to the camp and I became sick in Burgos again".
His time at La Vuelta was one of discovery, with him finishing second behind Tadej Pogacar on the first mountain stage of the race to Andorra, but then fading as the Grand Tour moved forward.
"Then in Vuelta I was in good shape but not in top shape so I was really struggling. Also with the heat again. Then after Vuelta when I was in Belgium I cooled, reset a bit and Vuelta gave me a bit more power".
The fall weather proved crucial for Widar to return to his best level, which he has used this afternoon to take a major triumph. Into Il Lombardia, the 20-year old will now also be an undoubted figure to take into consideration.
"I was really happy that I could race in Italy with [Giro dell'] Emilia. Great course and then I had a broken wheel and I was really disappointed on Saturday. Now I really try to give it all to thank the team. I'm really happy that I can finally show myself and win a race," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- :)Hills3306-10-2026
- Hey Hills old chap, I read your posts again and yeah, I guess we're on the same wavelength :)PogiSloFans06-10-2026
- Ayrton Senna used to say: second place is just the first loser. If Tadej is in the race, everyone else is a loser. Remco included. ;)MajorPayne06-10-2026
- PogiSloFans, I mean read my first post above, and only then read my reply to Lozza.Hills3306-10-2026
- Hi PogiSloFans, I was actually agreeing with you! Maybe read it again.Hills3306-10-2026
- Hey Hills33, you wrote: "Perhaps a better measure would be the strength of the competition beaten." ... So Lozza is correct in saying: "Pogi 5 TDF...Jonas 2 TDF." In what other GT is the competition even close to TDF? In no other GT, Giro or Vuelta. Ad acta.PogiSloFans06-10-2026
- They should release full resolution pictures from both photo finish cameras (both sides of finish lines). And even on this low resolution pictures it is clear that Remco won - what really bothers me why spokes in wheels looks different on both images. If cameras would be aligned perfectly to the same (finish) line both images would show same thing.averagecyclist06-10-2026
- The background is the same slice of finish line at a different time. It is blocked from view when a cyclist in in the camera's super narrow view. It makes sense to me. Remco won.OnlyTrueFalcon06-10-2026
- If I understand the explanation of slices of time, that means that the background which is not blocked by the presence of a rider or a bike in every slice of time is the color of the finish line. In fact, the same slice of the finish line is actually the background. Correct?OnlyTrueFalcon06-10-2026
- Yes I follow, but Ciconne is not happy because he can't see the actual line put down on the road. The system is correct and I can understand why he is unhappy. You will have seen it yourself when the broadscaters replay the photo finish, The line on the road is seen.Cyclingsbestfan06-10-2026
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