Following the pure cobbled classics of the 2025 season, the riders in the professional cycling peloton were in the process of transitioning to the major Ardennes Classics. Easter time had arrived in Belgium and De Brabantse Pijl – La Fleche Braabanconne 2025 would be contested on Friday, April 18 on a 162.6-kilometer route from Beersel to Overijse. The route would feature both cobbled sections known from the cobbled Classics, and hill sections known from the Ardennes Classics.

Brabantse Pijl 2025 marked the comeback of double Olympic Champion Remco Evenepoel following his serious crash in late December of last year, where Evenepoel rode into an open door of a postal car, while on a training ride near Oetingen. His Specialized S-Works bike broke in two in the accident and Evenepoel himself, more importantly, suffered a dislocated right clavicle, lung contusions, and fractures to his ribs, hand, and shoulder blade.

Being the first race of the 2025 season for Evenepoel of Belgium, all eyes would be on the Soudal-QuickStep team captain and his golden helmet in De Brabantse Pijl, and cycling fans and experts around the world would be eager to evaluate his fitness and adjust their season expectations accordingly. 25-year-old Evenepoel has the Tour de France as his main goal of the 2025 season.

Other top contenders in De Brabantse Pijl 2025 included Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Wout van Aert (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Tiesj Benoot (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Alex Aranburu (Cofidis Team), Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates), and Matteo Trentin of Tudor Pro Cycling Team.

The race got off to a fast start and the initial kilometers of the 162.6-kilometer race were dominated by multiple attacks. It did, however, take a while before a viable breakaway group was established.

Jens Reynders (Wagner Bazin WB), Tuur Dens (Team Flanders – Baloise), Joren Bloem (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Adne Holter (Uno-X Mobility Team), Iuri Leitao (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA), Antonio Jesus Soto (Equipo Kern Pharma), and Sebastien Grignard of Team Lotto were the optimists of the day and set out on the likely impossible mission of keeping the rest of the peloton at bay. The front group had fought its way to a time advantage of approximately two minutes after fifty kilometers of intense racing.

With Sebastien Grignard having been reeled in, the main peloton slowly increased its pace further, which resulted in the advantage of the remaining frontmen being reduced. 

Riders from Bahrain Victorious, EF Education-EasyPost and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team were leading the chase at the front of the main peloton. Riders from Visma-Lease a Bike later joined the chase effort too.

The race slowly entered its decisive phase, and the first attacks were launched from the main peloton with 67 kilometers remaining.

Though the original breakaway was still up the road, no likely decisive attacks had been established with fifty-five kilometers left. Riders from EF Education-EasyPost, Soudal-QuickStep, Bahrain Victorious, and Visma-Lease a Bike were setting a fast pace at the front of the main peloton. Their fast pace had reduced the advantage of the six frontmen to less than thirty seconds.

Tiesj Benoot launched Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Wout van Aert in an attack on the cobbled Moskesstraat climb with fifty kilometers left. They were caught.

The riders from the day’s long breakaway were caught and a new breakaway attempt was launched by Remco Evenepoel 48 kilometers from the finish line. The Olympic Champion looked strong. Wout Van Aert countered and joined Evenepoel as did Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates), and Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility). 

Evenepoel and van Aert attacked from the front group and were joined by Joseph Blackmore. Hermans, Narvaez, and Holter were forming a chase trio, while riders such as Neilson Powless, Benoot, Tibor del Grosso, Thomas Pidcock, and Leknessund were further behind when 45 kilometers remained.

Wearing his golden Olympic Champion helmet and riding his golden Specialized S-Works bike, Evenepoel had increased the advantage of the front trio in a strong effort together with van Aert and Blackmore with forty kilometers left. What an impressive comeback effort from the young Belgian who was greeted by many welcome back signs along the route.

Evenepoel led the race onto the cobbled Hertstraat hill. He was still joined by van Aert and Blackmore. Wout van Aert moved to the front of the trio on the flat stretch that followed. Meanwhile, multiple teams were attempting to launch attacks from the peloton more than fifty seconds behind. Riders from EF Education-EasyPost, Cofidis, and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team were active and eager to play catch-up.

While Wout van Aert opened a small gap in the front trio on the Moskesstraat, Neilson Powless led the main peloton up the same hill. Following his stunning victory in this year’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, the American rider was eager to prove his worth again today. Thirty kilometers remained.

Riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck, EF Education-EasyPost, and Cofidis were fighting from the front of the main peloton in a fierce attempt at reducing the 43 second advantage of the front trio with twenty kilometers remaining. Wout van Aert and Evenepoel were doing most of the work in the front trio, while 22-year-old Joseph Blackmore of Great Britain was hoping to deliver a surprise victory in today’s race, following his fourth-place finish in last year’s edition. Twenty kilometers remained.

Evenepoel accelerated on the Hertstraat climb with sixteen kilometers left and van Aert stuck to his rear wheel. Blackmore was suffering.

The front trio had been converted to a strong Belgian duo fifteen kilometers from the race finish. Blackmore was now chasing solo. Meanwhile, riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck and EF Education-EasyPost were spearheading the main peloton thirty-two seconds back.

EF Education-EasyPost riders reeled in Joseph Blackmore eleven kilometers from the finish line in Overijse. 

Alex Baudin of EF Education-EasyPost and Tom Pidcock tried their luck from the reduced main peloton group.

Remco Evenepoel led van Aert onto the tarmac of the Holstheide hill climb. Eight kilometers remained of today’s struggles of De Brabantse Pijl – La Fleche Brabanconne. 

Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock attacked from the small peloton group and tried to bridge the gap to Alex Baudin. It was the last chance for the riders to make the leap to the front duo before it was too late.

Instead, it was Leknessund who joined Baudin. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) attacked from the peloton group.

Wout van Aert refused to take turns at the front in the final kilometers. Evenepoel entered the final kilometer in first position, closely monitoring every move from van Aert behind him.

Remco Evenepoel opened his sprint with 250 meters left and Wout van Aert proved unable to respond. Evenepoel won his comeback race for Soudal-QuickStep ahead of van Aert of Team Visma-Lease a Bike.

“It’s incredible to win today,” Evenepoel told Roadcycling.com shortly after the finish. “I felt pretty good on the bike today. It’s been a hard race, and I know my sprint stays the same no matter if it’s a hard race or not,” Evenepoel explained. 

“I wasn’t too certain of success today, but you always must give it your best try. I am growing in confidence after my crash and it’s great to win in my first race after my crash,” Evenepoel added.

Antonio Morgado completed the race podium by finishing third for UAE Team Emirates.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for complete coverage from the 2025 professional cycling season.