Jordi Meeus had been knocking on the door all Opening Weekend. On Tuesday March 3rd at the Ename Samyn Classic, he finally kicked it down — sprinting to a convincing victory in Dour to take his first win of the 2026 season.
The 203.8km race from Quaregnon was shaped by an early five-man breakaway that was kept on a tight leash throughout. The real drama began with around 30km to go, when Per Strand Hagenes of Visma | Lease a Bike broke clear solo and quickly opened up a gap of around 20 seconds. The young Norwegian looked threatening, and his Visma teammates — including a returning Wout van Aert — worked to discourage any organised chase behind him.
Then, with 10km remaining, Van Aert’s day fell apart. A rear puncture at high speed forced him to stop and change bikes — twice — effectively ending his chances on his 2026 road debut. Without Visma’s firepower in the chase, Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe took control. They hit the final Rue de Belle Vue cobbled section at full gas, and with just 600 metres to go, Hagenes was caught.
Meeus didn’t hesitate. He launched up the inside and powered clear, crossing the line comfortably ahead of Laurenz Rex (Soudal Quick-Step) and Hugo Hofstetter (NSN).
“The Opening Weekend was a big goal for me,” Meeus said. “I’m very happy to be going home with a victory.”
Final podium:
- Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe)
- Laurenz Rex (Soudal Quick-Step)
- Hugo Hofstetter (NSN Cycling Team)
As for Van Aert, the bad luck was frustrating but not alarming — he showed enough during the race to suggest his form is building nicely ahead of the bigger Classics still to come.