The queen stage of this edition featured plenty of climbing and turned into a hard race from the very start. Team Visma | Lease a Bike took control early in the stage and kept the breakaway firmly in check throughout the day. The escapees were never given much room, as the pace in the peloton was kept high from early on.

That aggressive approach surprised several teams and quickly thinned out the peloton. Eventually, a reduced group of around forty riders remained, including five riders from Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

Matthew Brennan had already indicated before the stage that the climb might be a bit too tough for him, but he immediately committed himself fully to the team effort. The Brit played an important role in further reducing the group and delivered strong work in support of his teammates.

Heading into the local finishing circuit, Team Visma | Lease a Bike entered the finale with three riders and used their numerical advantage perfectly. First, Anton Schiffer launched a hard attack, but he was brought back by the chasing group. Schiffer ultimately finished in fourth place. Shortly after, it was Van Kerckhove’s turn, and he immediately opened a gap, holding his effort all the way to the finish for a well-earned victory.

After the finish, Van Kerckhove was very satisfied with his performance: “My first professional win, this is really amazing. I had really strong legs today.”

There was also satisfaction within the team about the way the young riders seized their opportunity. “We came to Luxembourg to give the young riders a chance to fight for a win or race a final,” said sport director Gaëtan Pons. “When we see them take that opportunity and deliver, it’s great to see. Especially with Matisse in such a hard stage, it’s very promising. He is the future of the team.”

Pons also saw the performance as further confirmation of Van Kerckhove’s potential for the future: “Today is once again a confirmation that Matisse is ready to make the step up to the pro team.” For Van Kerckhove, this marks an important milestone in his development. The talented Belgian will join the Team Visma | Lease a Bike WorldTour squad in 2027 and once again proved why the team has so much confidence in him.

Thanks to his strong performance, Van Kerckhove now also leads the general classification and the young rider classification, while Matthew Brennan leads the points classification.

Tomorrow brings another challenging stage in the Flèche du Sud. Over nearly 150 kilometers, the riders will face constant short climbs and descents. In addition, as today, strong winds are expected again, which could make the race even more nervous and selective heading into the finale. Team Visma | Lease a Bike will focus on defending the leader’s jersey into the final stage.