
In the city of Leuven, which hosted the 2021 World Championships where Alaphilippe secured his second rainbow jersey after Imola, Arnaud De Lie conquers the fifth stage and the overall classification of the Renewi Tour, a 184-kilometer stage starting and finishing in Leuven. The Lotto Belgian is in tears at the finish line, beating Van Der Poel and De Bondt. Sixth place for a combative Milesi, seventh for Albanese. In the general classification, De Lie leads Van Der Poel by 3" and Wellens by 31". First among the Italians, Alberto Bettiol, in eighth place.
The final stage highlighted Affini (Visma Lease a Bike), Asgreen (EF Education EasyPost), Deweirdt (Flanders Baloise), and Mikutis (Tudor Pro Cycling), who were the main actors of the day's most important breakaway, which the group, led by Ballerini and Bettiol from XDS Astana Team, caught back with 50 km to go. On the Wijnpers climb, Bettiol made a decisive move, taking Vacek, Wright, and Dewulf with him, but the peloton's reaction was immediate. On the second passage of Keizerberg, Huens and Ballerini tried to gain ground. With 34 km to go, Van Der Poel entered the scene, stretching the group with one of his trademark accelerations and taking about twenty riders with him, while Ballerini remained alone at the front. The group came back together with 25 km to go, at the moment of a new acceleration by Van Der Poel and immediately after by Bettiol, to whom Skujins, Wellens, and Wright attached. Wright and Skujins dropped, leaving three at the front, but the attempt faded with 13 km to go. On the last passage of Leopold Decouxlaan, Magnier, Stuyven, Milesi, Dewulf, Nys, and Madouas broke away, but Visma Lease a Bike closed the gap on the Wijnpers climb. With 4 km to go, Wellens accelerated, replaced at the front by Van Gils, followed by Bettiol and what remained of the group. The final move came from De Bondt, who was overtaken twenty meters from the finish line by De Lie and Van Der Poel.
FINAL STANDINGS
1 DE LIE Arnaud Lotto 03:59:38
2 VAN DER POEL Mathieu Alpecin-Deceuninck + 00
3 DE BONDT Dries Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team + 00
4 BITTNER Pavel Team Picnic PostNL + 00
5 GROENEWEGEN Dylan Team Jayco-AlUla + 00
6 MILESI Lorenzo Movistar Team + 00
7 ALBANESE Vincenzo EF Education-EasyPost + 00
8 PENHOËT Paul Groupama-FDJ + 00
9 KOOIJ Olav Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 00
10 LAURANCE Axel INEOS Grenadiers + 00