A long and thrilling battle between the breakaway riders and the peloton: this was the defining thread of the 2026 edition of the Bredene Koksijde Classic, a Belgian 1.Pro category race held over 203.4 km from Oostende to Koksijde.

Attempting the adventure from a distance – the breakaway started approximately 70 km from the finish – were Gil Gelders (Soudal Quick Step), Cedric Beullens (Lotto Intermarchè), Henrik Pedersen (Uno-X Mobility), Rayam Boulahoite (TotalEnergies), Michel Coppens (Beat CC p/b Saxo) and Jelle Vermoote (Tarteletto Isorex), who was the first to surrender.

The peloton caught them with just 1,500 metres remaining, just in time to launch the sprint that saw Dylan Groenewegen take victory, claiming his second win of the season. Germans Ackermann and Bittner were beaten in that order, with Luca Mozzato finishing in seventh place.

Another dose of bad luck for Lidl Trek, which saw Albert Withen Philipsen forced to retire following a crash.

FINISHING ORDER

1. Groenewegen Dylan (Unibet Rose Rockets) in 04:27:58
2. Ackermann Pascal (Team Jayco-AlUla)
3. Bittner Pavel (Team Picnic PostNL)
4. De Schuyteneer Steffen (Lotto-Intermarchè)
5. Kanter Max (XDS Astana Team)
6. Aniolkowski Stanislaw (Cofidis)
7. Mozzato Luca (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
8. Renard Alexis (Cofidis)
9. Tesson Jason (Team TotalEnergies)
10. Thijssen Gerben (Alpecin-Premier Tech)