Sport + Motorsport
Kiwi rider Corbin Strong capped a flawless week by claiming his maiden general classification success at the Tour de Wallonie. The 25-year-old began the final 215-kilometre circuit around Bertrix just one second ahead of Mathias Vacek, yet even 3,420 metres of climbing and a late 12-man escape failed to loosen his grip on the distinctive orange jersey. When the break was swept up inside the final kilometre, Strong launched a powerful uphill sprint for second place, banking enough bonus seconds to end the five-stage race nine seconds clear.
Southland’s Corbin Strong Sprints To Victory In Wallonie Opener
* Corbin Strong claimed his first 2025 win with an uphill sprint in Belgium. * IPT controlled the race pace, showcasing teamwork that secured Strong’s overall lead position. * The Kiwi now leads the general classification by four seconds ahead of Rasmus Tiller. Corbin Strong began his 2025 cycling season with a
Southland Sports News
He says: “I’m really, really happy to win this race. This season hasn’t gone the way I hoped it would go, so to come here and take the overall win is a really, really nice feeling. Hopefully, this is the start of a good second half to the season.
“My teammates did a really good job at the start, riding a solid pace to keep the breakaway within check, but we weren’t really too bothered about the stage win. Obviously, I only had one second on Vacek coming into today, so it was actually better for us if the breakaway took all the time bonuses. The guys did a really good job of keeping it within about three minutes, and then in the last few kilometers, Lidl – Trek took over.
“From that point on, I knew I had to just stay in the wheel of Vacek. I couldn’t let him out of my sight, and I knew that if we were coming to the line and some time bonuses were on offer, I needed to beat him.
“It was pretty touch-and-go at the finish. I really didn’t want us to catch the breakaway, but I could see them getting closer and closer, and I also knew I had pretty good legs. I came close to the stage win, but I’m really happy to wrap the GC up today.”
Strong had signalled his intent by winning stage 1 in Nassogne and never finished outside the top ten, adding podiums on stages 3 and 4. The triumph also exorcises the memory of 2024, when a relegation on stage 4 cost him overall victory on countback.
Sports Director Pat McCarty paid tribute to the squad behind their leader: “The guys were pretty amazing all week. They were all on the same page, and they adapted and communicated well.
“Ultimately, we put everything behind Corbin because he’s riding so well. We could see that on day one, when he won. It was like ‘okay, this is what we’re doing’. And we thought we could win the race.
“When you have everybody committed like that and working together, it’s not easy, but it’s definitely very, very doable. We avoided some bad luck this week, and we avoided mishaps – I wouldn’t say everything went right, but, in the end, we had a really strong team and the strongest rider in the race, so it feels pretty sweet to get it done. “