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Third place for Jenno Berckmoes in Muur Classic after strong ride

Having already won the race in 2024, finished third the following year and now claimed another third-place finish, Jenno Berckmoes clearly has a strong connection with the Muur Classic. Nevertheless, disappointment prevailed after today’s race “We came here to win and I had the legs to do it,” he said.
Race 14 June 2026
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While last year’s edition opened up with 90 kilometres still to go, this year’s Muur Classic remained tightly controlled until the finale. It was only on the final ascent of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, around 30 kilometres from the finish, that the race finally came to life when Dylan Teuns decided it was time to make a move. A group of 15 riders joined him, including Jenno Berckmoes and Paul Magnier. The attack did not last long and, after the peloton regrouped, Dylan Van Baarle launched another move. That effort also came to nothing, and it was not until five kilometres from the finish that Teuns tried again. “At first I hesitated a bit about following him because everyone was at their limit,” Berckmoes explained. “With a hard acceleration I eventually managed to bridge across, but then I noticed that he was also at his limit and unfortunately couldn’t contribute any strong turns anymore. Had that been different, and had he been able to pull through two or three more times, I might well have won the race here.”

The duo was eventually reeled back in and the race came together again on the Vesten, making a sprint inevitable. “I got boxed in for a moment there, but beating Paul Magnier would have been difficult anyway. Maybe if I had waited longer, or if Teuns had had a bit more left in the tank so that we could have stayed away... But that’s cycling. Of course, I would have preferred a more open race like last year. The more controlled the race is, the more nervous it becomes and the more riders are still fresh when they reach the finish. We came here to win and we didn’t manage to do that. I felt like I was one of the strongest riders in the race and I had the legs to win. Naturally, I’m disappointed. I was already close to victory in the Franco-Belge on Wednesday. Now there are new opportunities ahead in the Baloise Belgium Tour- where I won a stage last year- and at the National Championships. I’ll save my legs for what’s still to come.”

 

Picture: PhotoNews