“I felt good, so I was confident,” Van Kerckhove said afterward. “The cooperation at the front was good, and fortunately we stayed ahead of the peloton. In the sprint, I launched at exactly the right moment and was just able to finish it off.”  

The 35th edition of the Alpes Isère Tour began with a 135-kilometer stage starting and finishing in Charvieux-Chavagneux. Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development lined up with a strong roster for the prestigious five-day French race. After the start, Van Kerckhove secured a spot in the breakaway.  

Van Kerckhove was joined by four fellow escapees. The five-man lead group, later reduced to four riders, maintained an advantage of around one minute over the peloton for a long time. In the closing stages, the peloton drew closer, but the breakaway riders still managed to sprint for the stage win. Van Kerckhove prevailed by the slimmest of margins in an exciting sprint against Guus van den Eijnden.  

“It was fast from the start, and the pace never really eased afterward. It was a long battle to make the breakaway because everyone wanted to be there in the opening stage. It’s great to win the opening stage right away. We’re here with a strong group of riders, and we’ll do everything we can to defend the leader’s jersey over the next four stages.”  

It was Van Kerckhove’s seventh victory of the season. The Belgian talent will move up to the WorldTour team of Team Visma | Lease a Bike in 2027.