Belgian cyclist Liam Slock slides across finish line to claim first professional win in Switzerland
The 25-year-old Lotto Intermarché rider beat Aleksandr Vlasov and Richard Carapaz on a false-flat uphill finish at the GP Gippingen, then hit the deck while raising his arms to celebrate.
The race and the finale
Liam Slock (Lotto Intermarché) won the 62nd edition of the GP du Canton d’Argovie, now called GP Gippingen, a 173.8 km one‑day race around Leuggern in Switzerland on Sunday, 14 June 2026. In a tight uphill sprint he edged out Russia’s Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull‑BORA‑hansgrohe) and Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz (EF Education‑EasyPost), with Vlasov second and Carapaz third at one second.
The crash
Slock had opened his sprint early and had a gap as he approached the line. As he raised both arms to celebrate his first professional victory, he lost control and fell onto his right shoulder, sliding across the finish on the asphalt with his bike trailing behind. Photo‑finish images confirmed he had crossed the line first, already on the ground.
The finish order
Behind the podium, Thibau Nys (Lidl‑Trek) took fourth place at three seconds, in his first race of the season. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) was fifth and Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarché) sixth, returning after four months without racing. The top six were spread over a handful of seconds on the rising final straight.
The image that went viral
The finish produced footage that circulated rapidly on social media. One report described the moment as taking the cycling expression “bike throw” literally. Slock escaped with only minor abrasions and finished the day with his first pro‑win trophy.
The rider
Liam Slock, a Belgian from Ghent, is reported as being either 25 or 26 years old depending on the source. He rides for the Lotto Intermarché team. Sunday’s win was his first professional career victory, achieved in a way that few will forget.
