Jenno Berckmoes wins queen stage at Baloise Belgium Tour as Ethan Hayter is put into difficulties
CyclingSaturday, 21 June 2025 at 17:14
Lotto has taken the victory today at the Baloise Belgium Tour as Jenno Berckmoes was the strongest on stage 4. The young Belgian rider took advantage of the explosive terrain and hilltop finish to make the difference.
The stage was not hard but with a lot of short climbs it was raced like a classic and certainly we've seen a lot of action from early on as a large group went up the road including race leader Ethan Hayter. It could almost be said that it was a breakaway as a couple of groups united forming a total of 21 riders in front, where there were many threats to his race lead but equally he was ahead of many of his rivals.
However from this group just inside the 40 kilometer to go mark four riders went clear in Jenno Berckmoes, Marco Frigo, Orluis Aular and Filippo Baroncini. The group collaborated strongly and then battled for the stage win amongst themselves, finishing in that exact order as the Lotto rider flew up the climb to the line to distance
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- Trouble is, UAE is probably a one-way street, more interested in sucking up talent than selling it, must have used Bayern as a case study for how to right the competition ;-)Mistermaumau24-07-2025
- Also, yes other events have had success but the complications of the Tour are unique. The number of spectators vastly outweigh any comparable event, the variety of people too, locals, tourists, enthusiasts (this leads to far more feelings of being a priority “fan” compared to others than in stadiums or singular events where crowds feel more uniform, mentality like it’s my village, it’s my sport, it’s my holiday, others have less right to enjoy this here. The heating up by the caravan has to be analysed too, does it really create a better ambiance or does it stoke up tensions (I have seen grown men literally fighting over some stupid keyring from “territorial” catching rights, kids having crises (which boils over onto parents and then other annoyed bystanders because another caught more, someone hurt because one brand decided it would be cool to have youths (volunteering?) throwing hard drink cans into the crowd from a tall vehicle travelling at pro cycling speeds, anything can happen these days. Huge millions of people over thousands of km for 3 weeks, it’s as tough to prevent incidents as it is to stop riders crashing. Crowds don’t even mass up so closely at car rallyes (different perspective on dangers but still largely blind), you certainly couldn’t do a tdf for cars the way crowds are stationed, I think too many casuals who watch just don’t realise the speed of bikes (maybe too influences by tv scenes of mountain stages) and entourage who are in a frame of mind they have the whole visible surface to use. Far easier to avoid obstacles in F1. Far easier to fence people in in buildings. Far easier to control crowds that have to go through a gate or pay.Mistermaumau24-07-2025
- UAE is arrogant? Nils Pollitt clarified this, but as usual, this site omitted his explanation. He was telling the rider that the yellow jersey was having a nature break, and that it is an unwritten rule that attacks should be restrained under such conditions. Obviously, it is unfair to attack a rider who is peeing. The peloton also expect the yellow jersey team to control breakaways, so it is normal that UAE would reel in unwanted breakaways. These are racing situations not governed by hard and fast rules. Any rider or any team is free to go in front and take up the peloton pacing activity. It is unwarranted to label this as arrogant behavior. Tadej was merely expressing his opinion on the matter. As for the political stance of UAE, I don't think it is relevant, and media has a way of baiting sports figures to comment on matters unrelated to sports, in order to have something controversial to write about. Let us not allow ourselves to be fooled.FredMan24-07-2025
- Yes, you’re right though I don’t expect organisers to message subgroups individually with heavy campaigns. The problem in my opinion though is that people hear and understand the message but it’s forgotten as soon as their enthusiasm rises in the ambiance and they see others pushing limits more and more. Some of it is understandable and unavoidable but only because too many people no longer know how to hold back. The person in front moves forward to get a better view, so do you and the one behind, and then it starts all over again because everyone’s gain is cancelled out. Someone sticks their kid through to see better or raises them on their shoulder, same effect. Someone walks past and just stop right where they block your view, you move. People just aren’t thinking about the effect they have on their surroundings anymore and whether they are “perpetrator” or “victim” everyone feels justified and free to do as they feel and even when it leads to an accident they feel they had nothing to do with it, their actions didn’t participate in the build up.Mistermaumau24-07-2025
- Absolutely, it would be great if a few more in the public would help out handling or at least warning what in many cases must seem like suspicious, I mean, in this case, you don’t exactly go unobserved wringing your way through a thick crowd with a bike in tow. For having visited regularly I know that unfortunately too many get completely carried away by mass behaviour which often goes on closer and closer to limits until someone breaches it. Tough job keeping masses in line. I witnessed last year’s TT near Dijon and there was practically an animator taunting the police who were trying to prevent certain crowds from closing the road too much for the cars behind riders to pass. It was the point where the local Frenchie got fined for stopping to greet family which caused some criticism in both directions but I can tell you, in the euphoria and with the previous taunting having heated the more virulent young men, that crowd was close to provoking the kind of incidents only some can see coming.Mistermaumau24-07-2025
- I hope you’re right and that they slow down or run out of energy because they’re smashing it. The average is still 44! Fastest ever Tour was less than 42.1. It’s hardly slowed down since stage 10 when it was 44.8. Stage 9 and the 13 TT were the only that put a dent in things and then not much and proportionally the last stages won’t affect it as much so we may end with 43 especially if the sprinters or breakaway go for one final effort in Paris but I’ll go for 42.8. Still, we’re talking around 2% faster than the fastest ever, that’s like breaking the marathon record by 3 minutes and I don’t see no bionic shoes in cycling.Mistermaumau24-07-2025
- Indeed, and what is perhaps even worse is the writing of the articles, which feature an ever-increasing number of typos and word omissions. One wonders if the original articles on other sites are just as poor.itsent24-07-2025
- It’s actually kind of sad and disappointing that this site doesn’t link to the articles it hoovers up from.Mistermaumau24-07-2025
- Based on current situation, Isaac del Toro is above him in pecking orderZamorano24-07-2025
- While I get your point about the limitations of a blanket message, I think you're underestimating the value of the Tour organizers' approach. A clear, public reminder sets a baseline expectation for behavior, which can influence even those who might otherwise act recklessly. It’s not about targeting every subgroup perfectly but about reinforcing a culture of respect and safety. Your argument about the "very vast majority" not needing the message ignores how group dynamics work, people can get swept up in the moment, and a preemptive nudge can keep the absent minded or impulsive in check. As for your claim that "no message prevents" the worst offenders, that’s too cynical. Consistent messaging can deter some opportunists by raising the social cost of bad behavior, nobody wants to be that person called out by the crowd. You mention few better suggestions exist, but what about proactive measures like increased security presence or fan education campaigns? These have worked at other major events. I agree we’re lucky it’s not worse, but dismissing the organizers’ efforts as ineffective overlooks their role in maintaining the event’s relatively good track record.awp24-07-2025