Matteo Moschetti wins GP Criquielion

LESSINES BELGIUM MARCH 08 LR Hugo Hofsteter of Israel and Team Israel Premier Tech on second place race winner Matteo Moschetti of Italy and Team Q365 Pro Cycling and Giacomo Nizzolo of Italy and Team Q365 Pro Cycling on third place pose on the podium ceremony after the 30th Grand Prix Criquielion 2025 a 200km one day race from Ath to Lessines on March 08 2025 in Lessines Belgium Photo by Luc ClaessenGetty Images — Matteo Moschetti on the podium with Hugo Hofstetter and Giacomo Nizzolo (Image credit: Getty Images)

Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5) claimed the bunch sprint in the GP Criquielion, out-pacing Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech) and teammate Giacomo Nizzolo.

"This is a big confidence boost for me and for the team," Moschetti said.

"It was tricky in the final with two climbs and the small roads, but we were always in the right position as a team. The last 500 meters were slightly uphill at 4-5% with a headwind, so it wasn’t a fast sprint, but in the end, everything worked perfectly.

"Winning is always nice, and having a teammate on the podium makes it even better!"

Four riders made the day's early breakaway, with Aivaras Mikutis (Tudor), Nicola Marcerou (TotalEnergies), Miguel Ángel Fernández (Kern Pharma) and Francisco Joel Peñuela (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) gaining over three minutes on the bunch.

But with a bunch sprint all but assured, the major teams pushed the escape group to the breaking point, and with 40km to go, Fernández and Peñuela lost contact. TotalEnergies sent Alexys Brunel across the gap with Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto), making it four in the lead again. Then, Marcerou let go of the leaders, too.

Crashes from Gerben Thijssen and Arne Marit put Intermarché-Wanty out of the pursuit, and they sent Luca Van Boven on the attack along with Andreas Stokbro (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Piet Allegaert (Cofidis) and Erik Resell (Uno-X Mobility).

The quartet joined the three remaining leaders but couldn't hold off the charging peloton, which swept past with 3km to go.

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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.

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Matteo Moschetti wins GP Criquielion

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