Steenweg
Oudenaarde · Sunday 13 September 2026 · · week 2 of Summer 2026 · Second division A elite men
dry course · 7 laps · climbing and technique — settled — this is what it will be, 20°, 3 mm in drie dagen · 3.160 spectators lined the course
The podium
| 1 goud | Nicolas Chevalier — | 58:03 — | 30 pts € 900 |
| 2 zilver | Lowie Ceulemans — | 58:35 +32.6s | 25 pts € 600 |
| 3 brons | Julien Bernard — | 58:41 +38.2s | 21 pts € 450 |
The course
- the steps
- the sequence of corners
- the mud strip
- the long straight
- the hollow
- the little bridge
- the steep side
The rest of the result
| Rider | Team | Time | Gap | Prize | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Toon Herteleer | — | 58:51 | +48.0s | € 320 | 18 |
| 5 | Mathijs Demeyer | — | 58:51 | +48.3s | € 320 | 17 |
| 6 | Toon Naessens | — | 58:53 | +49.8s | € 320 | 16 |
| 7 | Xander Wauters | — | 58:57 | +54.3s | € 220 | 15 |
| 8 | Rémi Lefevre | — | 59:00 | +57.5s | € 220 | 14 |
| 9 | Vince Vandevelde | — | 59:02 | +58.6s | € 220 | 13 |
| 10 | Loïc Barbier | — | 59:02 | +59.0s | € 220 | 12 |
| 11 | Bavo Lambrecht | — | 59:06 | +1:03 | € 150 | 11 |
| 12 | Seppe Vanhee | — | 59:06 | +1:03 | € 150 | 10 |
| 13 | Tibo Verbeke | — | 59:09 | +1:06 | € 150 | 9 |
| 14 | Bavo Debruyne | — | 59:10 | +1:07 | € 150 | 8 |
| 15 | Jens Vercammen | — | 59:15 | +1:12 | € 150 | 7 |
| 16 | Iván Solana | — | 59:15 | +1:12 | € 150 | 6 |
| 17 | Radek Dvořák | — | 59:15 | +1:13 | € 150 | 5 |
| 18 | Arne Bruggeman | — | 59:16 | +1:13 | € 150 | 4 |
| 19 | Kobe Truyens | — | 59:16 | +1:13 | € 150 | 3 |
| 20 | Baptiste Bernard | — | 59:32 | +1:29 | € 150 | 2 |
| 21 | Ondřej Král | — | 59:32 | +1:29 | € 90 | |
| 22 | Théo Lefevre | — | 59:37 | +1:34 | € 90 | |
| 23 | Pieter Steyaert | — | 59:43 | +1:40 | € 90 | |
| 24 | Tomáš Procházka | — | 59:47 | +1:44 | € 90 | |
| 25 | Sil Cools | — | 1:00:00 Spare bike: punctured and changed bikes. | +1:57 | € 90 | |
| 26 | Lars Vanhoutte | — | 1:00:00 | +1:57 | € 90 | |
| 27 | Mathijs Casteels | — | 1:00:01 | +1:58 | € 90 | |
| 28 | Quentin Moreau | — | 1:00:04 | +2:01 | € 90 | |
| 29 | Bram Baeten | — | 1:00:09 | +2:07 | € 90 | |
| 30 | Ondřej Kučera | — | 1:00:29 | +2:26 | € 90 | |
| DNF | Dries Truyens abandoned — bad luck | — | — | — | ||
| DNF | Julien Chevalier abandoned — bad luck | — | — | — | ||
| DNF | Daan Maertens abandoned — bad luck | — | — | — | ||
| DNF | Jasper Roelants abandoned — bad luck | — | — | — |
Race report
1:00:29 Ondřej Kučera brings up the rear at 2 minutes. 4 riders did not make it to the line.
1:00:09 Bram Baeten crosses the line 29th, at 2:06.
1:00:04 Quentin Moreau crosses the line 28th, at 2:01.
58:41 Julien Bernard crosses the line 3rd, at 0:38.
58:35 Lowie Ceulemans crosses the line 2nd, at 0:33.
58:03 Nicolas Chevalier wins by 33 seconds.
57:00 Hardly anybody is getting off today, and that makes it an hour with no rest in it.
56:30 The line through the little climb at the back is shifting; they are riding a metre off where they were a moment ago.
55:43 Dries Truyens punctures in the off-camber and pulls out. Nobody in the pit.
55:40 There are holes in the line through the hollow that nobody is riding out any more.
55:20 A day for racing on the pedals; there is nothing to slide away.
52:50 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.
52:30 All five are hunting a different line through the deep furrow; none of them is finding the good one.
51:40 Toon Naessens dives past Rémi Lefevre in the steep side.
51:20 It is getting harder through the little climb at the back with every lap that goes by.
51:10 Julien Bernard takes Xander Wauters back in the slippery descent.
51:00 Get the steps wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
50:40 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.
50:30 Lowie Ceulemans takes the other line through the wide section and comes out ahead of Mathijs Demeyer.
50:10 Julien Chevalier has to let Rémi Lefevre go in the sequence of corners.
49:30 Xander Wauters is too quick for Toon Herteleer in the deep furrow and lies 5th now.
49:00 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.
48:10 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.
47:10 Iván Solana had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Toon Naessens in the little climb at the back.
46:30 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.
45:51 Kobe Truyens goes down in the start straight and loses 19 seconds.
45:46 Toon Naessens slides out in the little climb at the back and loses 9 seconds.
45:30 The gap to the first chaser is 32 seconds.
45:29 Julien Chevalier punctures in the slippery descent and pulls out. Nobody in the pit.
44:40 In the mud strip Théo Lefevre gains a place on Tomáš Procházka.
43:40 It is dusting up in the little climb at the back; anyone at the back is riding in a cloud.
43:30 Nicolas Chevalier is out on their own at the front.
43:20 The little climb at the back is getting looser with every lap.
42:30 Mathijs Demeyer moves up to 2nd at Tibo Verbeke's expense.
42:20 The off-camber is drying out on the side the sun is on.
41:50 There is 25 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.
41:00 Nicolas Chevalier has opened a gap and is alone up there.
40:50 Loïc Barbier goes past Vince Vandevelde in the little climb at the back.
40:00 The pits are working flat out.
39:50 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.
39:10 They are nearly all taking the same side through the wet meadow now; the other line is finished.
38:20 The ground in the wide section has been ridden rock hard.
37:40 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.
37:10 The line through the wet meadow has opened right up.
36:40 Julien Bernard takes Toon Naessens back in the wet meadow.
35:50 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.
35:40 Dust over the slippery descent — there is no grip left in the corners.
33:50 It is getting harder through the steps with every lap that goes by.
33:40 Dry and dusty, and by the end you cannot tell who is who.
33:00 Tomáš Procházka has to let Radek Dvořák go in the hollow.
32:20 The entrance to the mud strip is littered with abandoned bikes.
31:50 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.
31:30 There are holes in the line through the deep furrow that nobody is riding out any more.
30:50 Mathijs Demeyer dives past Toon Herteleer in the little climb at the back.
30:20 Get the deep furrow wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
29:40 Tyre pressure is half the race today, and nobody is saying so.
29:22 Sil Cools punctures in the slippery descent, changes bike and loses 8 seconds.
29:20 Lars Vanhoutte had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Bram Baeten in the little climb at the back.
28:50 Up front Nicolas Chevalier goes past Toon Herteleer — 1st now.
28:45 Nicolas Chevalier goes past Toon Herteleer and takes the lead.
28:00 The gap to the first chaser is 5 seconds.
26:40 Toon Naessens goes past Julien Chevalier in the off-camber.
26:00 The sand in the steep side is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.
25:40 Bavo Lambrecht takes the other line through the slippery descent and comes out ahead of Vince Vandevelde.
25:30 In the sequence of corners Mathijs Demeyer gains a place on Julien Bernard.
25:10 Quentin Moreau has to let Lars Vanhoutte go in the steps.
25:00 Iván Solana is too quick for Baptiste Bernard in the little climb at the back and lies 18th now.
24:10 Seppe Vanhee takes Rémi Lefevre back in the hurdles.
24:00 Ride the hollow instead of running it and you take half a second out of the rest every lap.
23:40 Vince Vandevelde had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Rémi Lefevre in the steep side.
23:10 It is dusting up in the little climb at the back; anyone at the back is riding in a cloud.
22:50 They are nearly all taking the same side through the hollow now; the other line is finished.
22:10 The pits are working flat out.
21:50 The steep side is costing a few seconds more every lap.
21:20 The steep side is drying out on the side the sun is on.
20:40 Hardly a bike change all day — there is nothing to wash off.
20:30 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.
20:20 Half the field is running the steps by now.
20:10 Seppe Vanhee dives past Bram Baeten in the hollow.
18:50 Xander Wauters dives past Rémi Lefevre in the pit.
18:10 Nicolas Chevalier moves up to 3rd at Loïc Barbier's expense.
17:50 Get the steep side wrong and you are standing still — and it is happening more and more.
17:30 Lowie Ceulemans goes past Loïc Barbier in the little bridge.
16:30 On a dry course there is little to win in the corners; it has to come from the legs.
15:40 The sand in the little bridge is loose and deep — that is where the hour will be decided.
15:30 The wet meadow is getting looser with every lap.
15:00 There is 13 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.
14:10 The lines are fixed on a course this dry; they are all riding the same rut.
13:50 The entrance to the hollow is littered with abandoned bikes.
13:40 In the sequence of corners Toon Naessens gains a place on Théo Lefevre.
13:00 Rémi Lefevre takes the other line through the off-camber and comes out ahead of Kobe Truyens.
12:10 The line through the wide section has opened right up.
12:00 Ondřej Král dives past Radek Dvořák in the wet meadow.
11:20 All five are hunting a different line through the hollow; none of them is finding the good one.
10:50 Tibo Verbeke had been sitting on the wheel a while and goes past Jens Vercammen in the hollow.
10:40 It is dusting up in the pit; anyone at the back is riding in a cloud.
10:30 Iván Solana takes Lars Vanhoutte back in the deep furrow.
10:10 Julien Bernard is too quick for Mathijs Demeyer in the hairpin and lies 7th now.
9:50 The steep side is drying out on the side the sun is on.
9:30 Radek Dvořák has to let Lars Vanhoutte go in the hollow.
7:10 The course is hard underneath; this is a day for anyone who can keep the power on.
5:00 The pits are working flat out.
4:40 The hairpin is costing a few seconds more every lap.
4:10 Half the field is running the little climb at the back by now.
4:08 Jasper Roelants punctures in the slippery descent and pulls out. Nobody in the pit.
4:02 Daan Maertens punctures in the slippery descent and pulls out. Nobody in the pit.
3:40 It is getting harder through the steps with every lap that goes by.
3:20 With 5 up front, and Toon Herteleer on the front of it.
3:10 The ground in the sequence of corners has been ridden rock hard.
2:50 They are nearly all taking the same side through the deep furrow now; the other line is finished.
2:40 The gap to the first chaser is 4 seconds.
2:00 Dry and fast, and that makes it a long hour.
1:30 There is 4 seconds on the clock behind the leaders.
1:20 The front group is riding on sight, not on line; it all looks the same out there.
1:00 There are holes in the line through the sequence of corners that nobody is riding out any more.
0:05 Toon Herteleer goes past Nicolas Chevalier and takes the lead.
0:00 Steenweg: dry course, 7 laps. Mostly climbing and technique.