Lambrecht triumphs after late attack

After an exciting 74-kilometre battle, Warre Lambrecht crossed the finish line first following a late solo attack. Sander Willems took second place in the bunch sprint, ahead of Nand De Bois. 

Around 11 a.m., the U17 men's race began in Oudenaarde. With 53 km to go, Tuur Vandevelde launched the first attack, breaking away from the peloton after accelerating on the cobbles of Karel Martelstraat. By the second passage at the finish line, he held a 30-second lead over his first chaser, Sam Vanhoecke, and 1 minute 20 seconds over the main group. 

However, the peloton didn’t let up and began the chase. Vanhoecke was reeled in, and Vandevelde’s lead started to shrink. With 36 km remaining, his advantage was down to 45 seconds. Eventually, Gridelet, Viaene, and Belgian champion Verhulst launched a counterattack. 

Entering the final laps, they managed to catch the lone leader, Vandevelde. On the final ascent of the Achterberg, Viaene attacked again, with only the resilient Vandevelde able to follow. Meanwhile, splits began to appear in the peloton. After the descent, the two leaders still held a 20-second lead. 

During the Varent climb, the peloton launched another fierce chase. Five riders managed to join the front group at the summit, but the cobbles of Karel Martelstraat caused a regrouping. A reduced peloton reached the foot of the final climb. On the Wolvenberg, the group split again with 6 km to go. 

At 2 km from the finish, the riders came back together once more. Lambrecht seized the moment and launched a late solo attack. The rider from Knesselaere gradually pulled away and rode solo to victory. He held off the chasers and finished his effort in style. In the sprint for second, Sander Willems edged out Nand De Bois.