That changed on the final lap, when Jenno Berckmoes and Quinten Hermans finally broke the race open on the Petite Somme. Berckmoes, last year’s winner in Durbuy, forced the move on the climb, with Hermans joining him as the sprinters began to lose contact.
The pair also used the Golden Kilometre to collect bonus seconds, adding direct general classification value to their attack. Aime De Gendt and Hector Alvarez later bridged across, creating a dangerous four-man move before the chasing group brought them back.
Durbuy finale explodes after slow-burning start
The catch did not calm the race. Jasper Stuyven, Davide Toneatti and Rick Pluimers were among the next riders to attack, before the finale became a rolling sequence of accelerations. Florian Vermeersch tried to move from behind after missing one of the key splits, while Dylan van Baarle, Jasper Philipsen and Hermans also helped force another selection.
A front group then formed with Berckmoes, Girmay, Hermans, Philipsen, Pluimers, Meris, Van Baarle and Mike Teunissen, briefly looking capable of deciding both the stage and the race lead between them. Pluimers decided the group was too large and attacked alone, opening a small gap as hesitation hit behind.
Teunissen countered in the descent as the race entered its final kilometres, before Toon Aerts also launched an attack in the closing phase. The finale never settled into a controlled sprint train, leaving Aranburu and Askey to emerge from a fractured, attack-heavy run-in.
The early break had formed almost immediately after the start through Gianni Marchand, Stijn Appel, Michiel Hillen, Roy Hoogendoorn and Victor Hannes. Their lead reached almost four minutes, but the peloton kept them close enough to prevent the move becoming decisive. Rui Oliveira later bridged across for UAE Team Emirates – XRG, giving Florian Vermeersch a possible card before the race returned together ahead of the final circuit.
After a quiet opening half, Durbuy eventually produced the selection the route had promised. Berckmoes and Hermans started the real fight, Pluimers and Teunissen kept it unstable, and Aranburu finished it off with victory on the queen stage.