Flandrien 0.0 Classic: Pedersen seals victory

Hendrik Pedersen (Uno-X Mobility) won the Flandrien 0.0 Classic , formerly the Super 8 Classic, thanks to a lightning-fast acceleration. A success that feels like destiny for the 21-year-old Dane.

Behind him, Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) completed the podium, protagonists of a chaotic and technical finale where the narrow road made as much of a difference as the legs.

A textbook sprint, with a few too many unexpected events

The leading group crossed the finish line in a compact group, spread out across the entire road, while the main peloton trailed just 15 seconds behind. Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto-Intermarché) opened the battle by launching an early sprint, but Pedersen had other plans: with an impressive progression, he outsprinted all his rivals, taking the first win of his professional career.

The winning escape and the race that heats up

The decisive group formed with 75 kilometers to go, after the morning breakaway had been absorbed. The leading group included some notable names: in addition to Pedersen, Pithie, and Vermeersch, there were Dries De Bondt (Jayco-AlUla), Samuele Battistella and teammate Luke Lamperti (both EF Education-EasyPost), Berckmoes, and Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets). This group worked seamlessly together, keeping a disorganized peloton at bay.

The route, a true classic of Flanders in miniature from Brakel to Boortmeerbeek/Haacht (199.4 km), tested the legs to the limit with 15 climbs, some with gradients of up to 20%. Iconic walls such as the Moskesstraat, the Smeysberg, and the Holstheide, tackled twice, served as natural selectors.

The race heated up early: five riders initially broke away, then the peloton exploded on the toughest climb when the peloton rejoined the breakaway with 79 km to go. From then on, it was a succession of attacks until the leading group of 17 riders formed, which was then whittled down to the 14 riders at the finish.

The failed comeback attempt and the perfect management of the lead

Worth noting was Lidl-Trek's attempt, with Thibau Nys leading a large group of chasers to try to reach teammate Tim Torn Teutenberg in the breakaway. The attempt failed due to a lack of cooperation, with the group dropping back 39 km from the finish.

Despite pressure from TotalEnergies first and then from Groupama-FDJ and Intermarché in the final kilometers, the escapees were able to coolly manage a lead that shrank to just 8 seconds with 3.4 km to go, holding on until the end.