The Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel has won the third stage of the 20th Benelux tour.
The 30-year-old top driver from Team Alpecin-Deceuninck prevailed after a wavy 181.8 kilometers from Aalter to Geraardsbergen in Belgium in front of the new overall leading Arnaud de Lie (Lotto) and defending champion Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates-XRG).
In the overall classification, the Belgian de Lie now has a second lead over Van der Poel, who last had to end the Tour de France prematurely due to pneumonia. The Belgian record winner Wellens, teammate from tour winner Tadej Pogacar, is in third place in striking distance (+21 seconds).
After two flat stages at the start, a larger escape group around the German Max Walscheid had shaped the hilly section. 30 kilometers before the finish, van der Poel, de Lie and Wellens and made up the day in the uphill sprint.
The final two stages on Saturday and Sunday also go up and down, with longer climbs. The five -day tour through the Netherlands and Belgium ends in Leuven.