Heavy high speed crash overshadows final stage finish at Tour de Wallonie

Oliver had moved into the leader’s jersey on stage 3 and successfully defended it over the final two days. His victory in Aubel added to his earlier stage 2 win in Libramont and confirmed the biggest success of his career.

The final stage was set up for a tense sprint finish, but the race was dramatically disrupted in the closing metres. Arnaud De Lie launched his sprint from distance with around 300 metres to go, desperate to end his frustrating week with another victory and, if possible, put pressure on Oliver in the general classification.

Behind the Belgian, however, chaos erupted. A heavy crash at high speed brought down a large part of the peloton, with Kim Heiduk (Netcompany Ineos) among the riders involved. Only a handful of riders managed to stay clear of the incident and continue the sprint for the line.

Oliver was one of those who avoided the carnage. De Lie initially came out of the final metres like a cannonball, but his early effort began to fade before the finish. 

That opened the door for Oliver, who came around the Lotto-Intermarché rider in the final metres to take his second stage win of the week and add extra shine to his overall triumph.

De Lie’s week had already been marked by frustration. A series of punctures on stage 1 cost him a result against Jordi Meeus, while on stage 3 to Vaux-sur-Sûre he was caught behind another major crash. 

The Belgian had responded in style on stage 4, powering to a come-from-behind victory in Eupen on Thursday after a brutal acceleration in the final kilometre carried him past Riley Sheehan in the closing metres.

On Friday, De Lie was clearly determined to build on that redemption. He collected one bonus second at the first intermediate sprint, but was outfoxed at the second. By then, only a stage victory could keep his hopes of overall victory alive.

Instead, the final day belonged to Oliver. The Modern Adventure Pro Cycling rider had taken his first professional victory earlier in the week in pouring rain in Libramont. Five days later, he leaves Aubel with two stage wins and the overall classification.