Starting from Blankenberge, right on the Belgian Atlantic coast, the second day of the tour took the riders 174 flat kilometres inland to Ardooie. Whilst there was little elevation gain along the route, there was certainly no shortage of wind. This made for difficult conditions by the halfway point of the race at the latest. However, the peloton hardly broke up at all.

“There were plenty of opportunities to ride on the windward side, but my team reacted well and in the end we had a bunch sprint,” said winner Philipsen, who secured his seventh victory of the season. “We had trouble keeping the group together. But that’s why I’m all the more pleased that I was able to win here and give something back to my team. I felt good, which gives me confidence for the days ahead. I’d set myself the target of at least one win, though.”

Philipsen is now also the new overall leader of the tour, taking the jersey from Milan. The Italian was caught up in a mass crash on a kerb but was able to continue the race. However, he crossed the finish line well behind the leaders. It remained unclear for the time being whether he would start Stage 3. His brother Matteo Milan (Groupama – FDJ United) finished fourth on the day. Second in the general classification, four seconds behind, is Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), who was also unable to get involved in the sprint. Although his team were still working shortly before the finish, they then ceased their efforts after there was no sign of the Dutchman amongst the front runners.

When Merlier then slipped out of the pedal as he launched his sprint, Philipsen was the only one of the big four left. The 28-year-old went on to win by a clear margin.

Renewi Tour 2026 – Results of Stage 2

Here’s how Stage 2 of the 2026 Renewi Tour unfolded

Niklas Behrens (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and Michiel Lambrecht (Team Flanders - Baloise) formed the day’s first breakaway trio after a few kilometres. However, with a maximum lead of only around one and a half minutes, the group did not push themselves to the limit and were caught again 84 kilometres from the finish.

The breakaway riders’ task was made more difficult by strong winds, which also led to the peloton splitting into groups just before they were caught. On the windward side, the peloton split for a moment, but quickly came back together.

Nevertheless, it remained dangerous, as evidenced by a mass crash. Milan and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) were also caught up in it. Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla) then attempted a solo breakaway, but was caught again a few kilometres later. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) and Vlad Van Mechelen (Bahrain – Victorious) subsequently suffered the same fate as Edward Theuns (Lidl – Trek).

However, the peloton, riding in a state of high alert, then rode together for the final 25 kilometres. As many teams had sprinters in their ranks, there was little interest in preventing a sprint finish. Isolated breakaway attempts were unsuccessful.