Results Tour de Wallonie 2026 Stage 2 - George Hincapie’s Modern Adventure team land biggest win yet as Ben Oliver stuns sprint favourites

Ben Oliver delivered the biggest victory in Modern Adventure Pro Cycling’s short history on Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de Wallonie, taking the American team’s first European win after a rain-hit finale in Libramont-Chevigny.

The victory was the team’s third since its arrival in the professional peloton, following Samuel Florez’s stage win at the Tour of the Gila and Stefan de Bod’s South African national time trial title. But Oliver’s success was on a different level, coming at 2.Pro level in Europe and against a sprint field that included Jordi Meeus and Arnaud De Lie.

Meeus began the day in the leader’s jersey after winning Stage 1, with the peloton facing a 188km route from Jodoigne to Libramont-Chevigny. The early breakaway formed with six riders going clear: Asbjorn Hellemose, Anton Lennemann, Matteo Melotte, Matthew Kingston, Iben Rommelaere and Kevin Avoine.

Hellemose took the first intermediate sprint of the day in Rochefort, collecting three bonus seconds ahead of Rommelaere and Lennemann. The Jayco AlUla rider later added more bonus seconds at Wideumont-Village, briefly moving into the virtual race lead on the road.

The escape began to lose riders before the final 70km. Hellemose accelerated in the front group, with Kingston and Lennemann both dropped and later caught by the peloton. That left Hellemose, Melotte, Rommelaere and Avoine out front as Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe helped control the peloton behind race leader Meeus.

Avoine took the final intermediate sprint at Wideumont-Village ahead of Hellemose and Rommelaere, but the break was already under pressure. Melotte was dropped from the front group, before Hellemose and Rommelaere also lost contact. Avoine was the last rider from the break to be caught, with the peloton regrouping shortly before the final lap.

The closing circuits were complicated by heavy rain. Sam Welsford crashed in the peloton before the final lap, although the Netcompany INEOS sprinter later made it back into the bunch. There was then another crash involving eight riders inside the final 20km, with Anton Lennemann, Natnael Tesfatsion and Loic Vanlaere among those involved.

Lotto Intermarche, NSN Cycling Team, Team Jayco AlUla and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe were all active near the front as the race moved into the final 15km. With 11km remaining, five riders opened a small gap, but the bunch came back together for the final run-in.

The peloton was stretched out inside the final 5km, with Lotto Intermarche pulling before Team Flanders - Baloise moved forward with four riders. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe then took control inside the final 1.5km, bringing four riders to the front.

Danny van Poppel led out Meeus in the closing metres, with De Lie locked onto Meeus’ wheel as the sprint opened. But Oliver came through to take the stage victory for Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, turning his fourth place from the opening stage into a breakthrough win 24 hours later.