Mathieu van der Poels wins GP de Wallonie in tight uphill sprint

The GP de Wallonie saw an explosive finale in the Citadelle de Namur, where Mathieu van der Poel sprinted to the win after a hard effort in the end, beating Biniam Girmay in the final sprint.

The day's breakaway resisted until late in the day, as Arkéa Samsic's Ewen Costiou took advantage of the rough weather and wet roads to keep his lead over the peloton, only to be caught by the peloton in sight of the final ascent.

There were several attacks earlier on, but no-one managed to get a gap over the peloton consistently. Intermarché entered the final ascent with serious numbers in the front of the peloton, but were surprised with a strong late attack from Dylan Teuns inside the final kilometer which saw a gap grow alongside Gonzalo Serrano.

The move was threatening, with the leading duo entering the final corner in front, but chased down by Mathieu van der Poel in the final sprint. The Dutchman had the legs and took the win in the uphill sprint, holding off Biniam Girmay, and Gonzalo Serrano who held on to third place.

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