Three in a row for Dylan Groenwegen as the Rockets grab first WorldTour win

The recently renamed Ronde van Brugge (formerly Brugge–De Panne) had chaos predicted pre race, with wind conditions suitable for echelons typical of the West Flanders region. The first splits occurred with 145 kilometres to go in the 202 kilometre race, with no breakaway forming.

Surprisingly, the split was closed less than 10 kilometres later, and the situation stabilised for the next 50 kilometres as the riders headed back towards Brugge, with the peloton predominantly driven by Lotto-Intermarché and UAE Team Emirates XRG.

With 82 kilometres to go, the echelon battle resumed, drastically reducing the peloton. Echelons formed over the next 10 to 15 kilometres, resulting in a front group of around 30 riders containing the likes of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets), with the latter requiring a quick bike change in Brugge just before the final lap of the two lap, 49 kilometre circuit.

To the credit of teams including TotalEnergies and Flanders-Baloise in the chasing group, they never gave up their effort, and with 42 kilometres remaining, the peloton swelled in size once more. It stayed together until 30 kilometres to go, when a crash on a cobbled sector brought down several riders, including the winner of the 2025 Brugge–De Panne, Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The crash split the peloton again, setting up another game of cat and mouse before everything came back together with 20 kilometres remaining.

More splits followed in the final 10 kilometres, with Jasper Philipsen caught out. He managed to return, but without teammates to support him, he was forced to rely on himself in the finale.

Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) animated the closing phase with an attack at 8 kilometres to go. The Italian opened a small gap, but the pace remained high, and a group of five riders bridged across, including Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates XRG). As had happened earlier, the move was eventually brought back.

A bunch sprint followed in Brugge, with XDS Astana particularly well positioned with four riders at the front. However, it was Unibet Rose Rockets who executed the sprint to perfection, as Dylan Groenewegen delivered the win and secured the team’s first WorldTour victory.