Results Renewi Tour 2026 Stage 2 - Jasper Philipsen wins in Ardooie as crash-hit race leader Jonathan Milan is lapped by peloton

Jasper Philipsen won Stage 2 of the 2026 Renewi Tour after launching the sprint from the front in Ardooie, while crash-hit race leader Jonathan Milan was lapped by the peloton in an extraordinary end to his yellow-jersey defence.

Philipsen was guided into position inside the final two kilometres before opening his sprint with approximately 400 metres remaining. The Alpecin‑Premier Tech leader completed the 173.9km stage in 3:12:20 to secure the 65th victory of his professional career.

The finish brought a decisive conclusion to a stage transformed by a huge crash which left Milan more than six minutes behind and unable to hold his handlebars steadily.

Positioning became increasingly difficult on the narrow approach towards the centre of Ardooie, with the remaining sprint teams fighting for control of a heavily reduced peloton.

Decathlon CMA CGM Team lifted the pace beneath the flamme rouge, although Olav Kooij had earlier become separated from his teammates through a long bend. He eventually recovered position behind Dylan Groenewegen as the sprint began to form.

Tim Merlier’s challenge was complicated when regular lead-out rider Bert Van Lerberghe suffered a mechanical problem with nine kilometres remaining. Merlier then lost further positions amid the pushing and movement inside the final kilometre.

Lukas Kubis led the peloton inside the final 700 metres before Philipsen took control from the front. The Belgian launched his sprint at approximately 400 metres and carried his speed through to the line to claim his first victory of the race.

Milan’s stage had unravelled when a front-to-rear wheel contact involving Tobias Bayer triggered a chain reaction near the front of the peloton. A large section of the bunch came down on the narrow but straight road, with the Stage 1 winner among the riders most badly affected. Milan initially remained sitting beside the road before eventually returning to his bike.

The Lidl–Trek leader repeatedly examined his wrist and struggled to maintain a stable grip on the handlebars. He continued beyond the next passage through the finish area rather than turning towards the team buses, but made little progress alongside teammate Simone Consonni.

Their deficit eventually exceeded six minutes. With approximately five kilometres remaining for the front of the race, the peloton caught Milan and Consonni on the finishing circuit. The pair were forced to move aside, leaving Milan watching from a driveway as the race which he had led passed him.

Amaury Capiot was taken to hospital after abandoning following the same crash, which affected riders from almost every team.

Milan had started the day four seconds ahead of Kooij and Dries De Bondt after narrowly winning the opening stage in Diest. De Bondt repeatedly attempted to exploit the confusion after the crash but was closely controlled each time. Neither he nor Kooij collected bonus seconds inside the Green Kilometre, leaving the stage finish to determine the new shape of the general classification.

Philipsen had begun the stage ten seconds behind Milan and collected the maximum ten-second bonus with his victory, bringing him directly into the battle for the yellow jersey following the previous leader’s elimination from the front of the race.

After the crash had removed Milan from contention and disrupted several rival sprint trains, Philipsen delivered from the front in Ardooie to secure career victory number 65.