Jasper Philipsen wins Renewi Tour stage four and takes overall lead

Stage victory in Bilzen-Hoeselt

Jasper Philipsen won the fourth stage of the Renewi Tour on Saturday, 22 August 2026, edging Olav Kooij in a bunch sprint in Bilzen-Hoeselt. The 187.3-kilometre stage started in Riemst and took the peloton through Philipsen's native Limburg region before a photo-finish decided the outcome by centimetres. Alpecin-Premier Tech's sprinter completed the route in 3 hours, 57 minutes and 43 seconds, claiming his second stage win of the week after winning in Ardooie on Thursday. Twenty-one-year-old Italian rider Alessandro Borgo of Bahrain-Victorious took third place on the same time, while Dylan Groenewegen of Unibet finished fourth and Luca Mozzato finished fifth. Philipsen noted after the finish that cumulative fatigue from earlier summer competition affected the peloton.

It is certain that at this time of year, races become difficult due to a lack of freshness. This is the case for many riders who did the Tour de France.

Breakaways and late attacks

An early six-rider breakaway animated the stage, opening an advantage of nearly two minutes over the peloton. The move featured Toms Skujins of Lidl-Trek, stepping up after team leader Jonathan Milan withdrew following a heavy fall earlier in the race, alongside Lionel Taminiaux of Lotto Intermarché. The peloton halved that gap after cresting the Brugstraat (500 metres at 4.3%) and the Letenberg (400 metres at 7.6%). The breakaway dwindled to Kamil Malecki of Pinarello Q36.5 Pro and Aivaras Mikutis of Tudor before the bunch caught them 20 kilometres from the line. On the final climb of the Letenberg, Florian Vermeersch of UAE Emirates-XRG and overnight race leader Jenno Berckmoes attacked without success. Søren Kragh Andersen of Lidl-Trek then launched a solo move with six kilometres remaining, holding off the chasing pack until he was caught under 500 metres from the finish. Arnaud De Lie, who won the general classification in 2025, lost contact with the main group seven kilometres from the finish line.

General classification standings

The sprint victory returned Philipsen to the top of the general classification with a total time of 15 hours, 22 minutes and 18 seconds. The Belgian rider reclaimed the green and blue leader's jersey from Berckmoes, who had taken the race lead on Friday. Philipsen leads Berckmoes by four seconds and third-placed Kooij by 10 seconds with one stage remaining. Mike Teunissen ranks fourth overall, 26 seconds behind Philipsen, while Matteo Trentin sits fifth at 28 seconds. Philipsen has placed in the top four on every stage of the 2026 race, recording fourth, second, first, and first across the opening four days.

Decisive final stage in Leuven

The 2026 edition of the Renewi Tour, formerly known as the Benelux Tour, concludes on Sunday, 23 August 2026, with a 183.7-kilometre fifth stage starting and finishing in Leuven. The closing route through Flemish Brabant features punchy hills and technical circuit sections designed to encourage attacks. Philipsen, who has never won the overall classification at this race, must protect his four-second cushion over Berckmoes and a 10-second gap over Kooij. With bonus seconds available along the route and at the finish line, the final stage will settle the general classification podium.