Hello and welcome to the 2025 men's Scheldeprijs!

With tಌhe Tour of Flanders three days ago, and Paris-Roubaix coming up in four day’s time, the sprinters have a midweek day to enjoy in bet𒐪ween the two cobbled monuments.

Mario Cipollini, Erik Zabel,💜 Robbie McEwan, Tom Boonen, Mark Cavendish, Alessandro Pettachi, Marcel Kittel, Fabio Jakosen - it’s clear from just looking at the list of past recent winners that this is a race for the fast-man, often won by whichever rider is the quickest sprinter in the world at that time.

That trend has cont💦inued into the last two editions, won by Jasper Philipsen in 2023 and Tim Merlier in 2024. Both riders are present again this year, and the two clear favourites for the win.

They and 🙈the rest of the field are on the move in the neutralised one, and will be racing for real soon.

Weather can have an impact on Scheldeprijs✃ and make things complicated for the sprinters, but that doesn’t appear to be the case today. The riders have been greeted by blue skies at th𓄧e start, and wind isn’t set to be a factor today.

OFFICIAL START

And they're off!

Two riders scheduled to sta🔯rt have not managed to make it - Erik Resell (Uno🗹-X) and Alessio Delle Vedove (XDS-Astana).

Five riders hav🥃e managed to get a small gap, and another three are in pursuit of them.

A group of 6 has formed, and the peloton has sat up - this is our break of the day. We'll have 🦩a full rundown of who's in it shortly. 

190KM TO GO

The (8, rather than 6) riders are:

Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto)

Yentl Vandevelde (Team Flanders - Baloise)

Alex Colman (Team Flanders - Baloise)

Ceriel Desal (Wagner Bazin WB)

Jelle Vermoote (Wagner Bazin WB)

Bram Dissel (BEAT Cycling Club)

Lars Loohuis (BEAT Cycling Club)

Abram Stockman (Unibet Tietema Rockets)

The gap has already grown to over 3-30 - these will be the 8 riders who will spend most oᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚf the day in the lead.

There's been a crash, with three riders down - Jonas Iversby Hvideberg and Amund G🐻røndahl Jansen of Un🍃o-X Mobility, and Jens Reynders of Wagner Bazin WB.

180KM TO GO

The gap between the 8 leaders and the peloton has stabilised a𒁃t around three minutes.✃ We can expect this holding pattern to last for a while.

 Reynders is back ꦡin the peloton having been involved in the crash.

The 8 riders up the road.

170KM TO GO

The race is relaxed 🍃and the peloton has the break under control. They’re happy to give them just over three m💞inutes, but not more than that - right now the gap’s at 3-17.

There’s plenty of other cycling happening today. The women’s Scheldeprijs is further up the road, for which we’ll have a report of what happened when it finishes in about an hour, while you can follow stage three of Itzulia Basque Country here.

There have been a couple of abandons - Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies) and Anders Skaarseth (Un☂o-X Mobil🔯ity) have left the race.

While we wait f🦩or the action to get going here, have a read of some🦂 of our other stories.

The world of cycling is brimming with excitement for Tadej Pogačar appointment with the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, a day that promises to be the event of the season, and could make the Slovenian even more of a modern day legend than he already is. We took a look at his past experiences on those⛄ iconic roads.

The race is waking 💃up - there are sp෴lits in the peloton!

The peloton has been split int🍰o three different groups.

The gaps between these groups are growing - there are 25 seconds between the 🥀first peloton and the second, and 25 seconds between the second peloton and the third.

150KM TO GO

All of this action is also seeing the break's lead tumble, down to lit♒tle more than a minute.

The third and second pelotons have joined together. They're now trying to close th🌱e gap to the f𒆙irst peloton.

The race is really on. The front peloton isn't lꦺetting up, and still has 45 seconds on the group behind. They're also bearing down on the original break, now just 50 seconds up the road.

There are about 50 riders in the front peloton.

These are the 8 riders in th꧅e lead - but for how m💛uch longer? The front peloton is bearing down on them.

140KM TO GO

As things stand, there are 30 seconds between the le🌠ading br𝔉eak and the first peloton, and another 30 seconds between the first peloton and the second peloton. There's another group further adrift, too, about 1-30 back from the second peloton. 

You can tell from the riders' faces that they're going much harder now post-splits than they we꧒re earlier in the day.

130KM TO GO

It seems all the gaps have stabilised for now. It’s being reported that there’s still a♏bout 30 seconds between the two pelotons, and that the break’s lead is also about 30 seconds.

The riders have crossed the border back from the Netherlands into Belgium. That’ll also mean they should arrive into less exposed, which mi🐎ght see these splits be closed up again.

The race has indeed calmed down, and the two pelotons have come♚ back together. 

110KM TO GO

There are now about 50 seconds 🍸between the breakaway and the now-reformed peloton.

The 🌸break was reduced at some point earlier. There are now just four riders in it: Tijmen Eising, Baptiste Veistrofꦺfer, Tuur Dens and Ceriel Desal.

100KM TO GO

The break's lead is reducing, now down to just 🅘30 seconds or so.

The women's race has finished - you can find out everything that happened here.

Now the pelotons are back together, it&r📖squo;s a good time to consider some of the favourites in the likely event of a bunch sprint.

With 6 wins to💯 his name already this year, defending champion Tim Merlier is surely the man to beat. He’s won more than any other rider in the world this year, and is clearly back up to speed after his crash at Classic Brugge-De Panne after winning the sprint for second-place at Gent-Wevelgem - that would have been a victory had the peloton managed to catch Mads Pedersen that day.

The pace in the peloton has slowed again. Consequently, some more riders dropped earlier in the day havඣe just re-joined it.

90KM TO GO

The slowing of the pace has also allowed the br🌌eak's lead to grow again, back up to just over a minute. The peloton w⭕ouldn't want to bring them back so early, with almost half the race still to come. 

Jasper Philipsen has not been sprinting as fast as his compatriot and rival Tim Merlier, but has a chanc෴e to issue some revenge on him today. ♎In fact, Philipsen’s won just once this year (at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne), though has still been riding well even if his sprint is lacking something. 

Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix is aꦚ bigger goal for the Belgian, but he’ll still be eager for a win to end his (relative) dry spell.

The four riders left in t💙he break, who have now been given more leeway. Their lead is still over a minute. 

A reminder that you can also follow our 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:live report of the Itzulia Basque Countryꦿ stage taking place today.

80KM TO GO

80km to go, and the gap's still hovering just above 🌸a minute.

70KM TO GO

The gap's down a little again, to 45 seconds. But there's no urgency in the peloton to bring t♕hem back just yet.

Soudal-QuickStep lead the peloton, with a long line of Lidl-Trek riders behind them. The latter don't have their main sprinter Milan here, but must fancy the chances o🤡f Ed Theuns, who won Bredene Koksijde a few weeks ago.

60KM TO GO

As we near the final quarter of the race, the gap between the leaders a𝄹nd the peloton is 1-08.&nb෴sp;

The leaders are on the cobbled Broekstraat sector, which they'll take on another three times on this finishingcircuit. It pales in comparison to what we'll see on Sunday at Paris-Robai, but does give rhe🎶 riders something to think about on this otherwise straightfoward, pan-flat course.

Another🀅 favourite for the day is Jayco-AlUla’s Dylan Groenewegen. The Dutchman often blows hot and cold, and hasn’t won a race all year, but when he’s good he’s very good. If he can get his positioning right in the finale, he has the raw speed to potentially bꦐeat anyone. 

Groenewegen's Jayco-AlUla is one of the many teams near the front of the bunched pe💝loton, as well as Theuns' Lidl-Trek and Alberto Dainese's Tudor🔯 Pro Cycling.

50KM TO GO

The leading four cross the f💝inish line for the first time. They'll now complete three laps of the finishing circuit. 

Now the peloton cross the line💧, 1-22 later. The gap has grown some more. 

Loïc Vliegen's had a mechanical, though the pace is slow enough for him to be able ⭕to catch up.

There are some Flemish flags out on the roadside today. With attention turning o across the border in France for Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, then to the A🧸rdennes for those classics, this will be the final phase of the part of the spring where Flanders is at the centre of everything.

Merlier has made his way back to the peloton through the cars having dropped off briefly. He's very conspicಞuous in his white European champions' jersey.

40KM TO GO

The pace is faster than it was, with 𒉰Lidl-Trek pushing on at the front of the peloton. The gap to the leaders has thus come down, to just beneath a minute. 

Bike change for Pavel Bittner. He's one to watch in the finale - the young sprinter looked good at Volta a Catalunya, where he registered a couple of podium finishes, and is Team Picnic PostNL’s 📖designated leader today.

Tuur Dens has dropped out of the❀ break, and is about to be caught by the pelot🌌on.

The three riders left in the break are back on the finishing straight. They have 2 more laps left to🤡 ride, amounܫting to 34km.

30KM TO GO

55 seconds is the gap. Lidl-Trek are💎 still prominent in the 🌃peloton, though other teams are swarmed around them.

Philipsen has just been brought back into the peloton with the help of two teammate🔯s. Not clear why he was out the back, but doesn't seem to have been a significant problem. 

The r꧟iders are back on the 'cobbles' again for the Broekstraat sector. 

Problem for Gerben Thijssen. He's been dropped on the 🌠Broekstraat, as well as Dens.

Thijssen had some kind of mechanical. He's goꦬt a teammate with him trying to help him back into the pe꧒loton.

Ba🅰ck in the break, Eisin🧔g's been dropped. That leaves just Desal and  Veistroffer in the front group.

20KM TO GO

The s💙peed is really up now. The peloton are just 20 seconds away from the two leaders, and preparing for the finale.

Red Bull-Bora Hansgroh🙈e have become increasingly prominent at the front, but it's still Lidl-Trek who are most in control.

LAST LAP

The riders hear the bell for the last lap! The two breakaway riders are first to the line, but only just - the peloton can see th💛em and ꩵare only seconds away.

Ceriel Desal has aꦕttacked to ensure he'll be the l🎉ast man to be caught.

Veistrof🅘fer has been caught, but Desal still has some daylight between himself and the bunch. 

Desal clearly had something left in the tank. He's still holdಌing his lead, and has 8 seconds on the peloton. He's still surely going to be caught, but is showing impressive strength to stay out there.

CRASH

🃏There's beꦕen a crash towards the front of the peloton.

There's been a lot of riders held up, as the crash occured near the front of the peloton on quite a narroܫw rꦺoad.

10KM TO GO

The race goes on, and Desal still has a fews seconds on what's left of the peloton a🧸s he moves past the final 𒆙10km marker.

Desal's day is at an en🔥d, he's 💦been caught by the front peloton.

Phil𝔍ipsen and Groenewegen are both still in this lea🐟d group.

There are maybe around 50 or 60 riders inဣ the peloton now.

Most oꦰf the biggest sprinters do seem to be present though - Merlier and Welsford are also here, and the latter's Red Bull team is pushing on at the front of the peloton.

A long line of Red Bull-Bora𒊎 Hansgrohe riders lead the peloton. They're controlling thi🔯ngs for now.

Those Red Bull riders are looking aro🧜und, and it appears that their main sprinter for the day Welsford isn't actualꦇly here.

5KM TO GO

Last 5km, and Lidl-Trek are back at the front.

Behind the peloton, Tudor are leading t🔯he chase, but it's a tall order from here. Thijssen is one of the sprinters in that straggling group.

Still Lidl lead. They'r💜e looking very confident today🐭. 

There is still a line of 5 Lidl riders leading as the🐷y enter 3km to go.

Cofidis are challenging. Their sprinter Milan Fretin 🃏is presumably in this lead group.

Theuns, Philipsen, Merlier,&n💯bsp;Groenewegen are all looking well-positioned. 2km to go

1KM TO GO

Still Lidl lead unde the 1km to go barrier.

Here's🐠 the sprint🃏, Philipsen and Merlier are going for it

MERLIER WINS

Tim Merlier takes the win!

Merlier edged Philipsen into second.

Th♉at's Merlier's seventh win of the season. His status as best spri⛦nter in the world is solidified.

Matteo Moschetti was 3rd, ♉Milan Fretin 4th and Da▨nny van Poppel 5th

Simone Consonni was the last man to do Lidl-s very impressive lead-out, but Danny van Poppoel couldn;t finish off the j꧙ob, fading to fifth. Philipsen st🤡arted his sprint from a strong position and led for much of it, but Merlier came charging through from deep and ultimately won by a comfortable margin.

Thanks for joining us today, where Tim Merlier once again proved himself to be🐻 the quickest sprinter in the world with yet another victory.

Both his and runner-up Jasper Philipsen’s attention now turns to Sunday, where they will convene with all of the best classics specialists in the world, for what is always one of the events of the season - Paris-Roubaix. Be sure to join us once more as we witness Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and co. for what promises to be a classic.