He won the sprint and fell before the finish line: the surreal celebration of his first elite victory

Cycling once again provided one of those unforgettable images. Belgian Liam Slock conquered the GP Gippingen 2026 this Sunday, but his first victory as a professional almost slipped away due to excessive enthusiasm in the final meters.

Won by a hair: Slock falls before the finish line and retains the victory

The Lotto rider starred in a conclusion as spectacular as it was unusual in the Swiss classic of UCI 1.1 category. After surpassing his rivals in the demanding final uphill sprint, Slock seemed to have the victory completely secured. With several meters of advantage over his pursuers, he began to celebrate before crossing the finish line, but lost his balance when he was just a few centimeters away from triumph.

Liam Slock wins #GPGippingen 2026

It seemed first that he didn't cross the line while crashing but he did.pic.twitter.com/Cr1qgy7Eeu

— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) June 14, 2026

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The fall came just as he was raising his arms. The Belgian was thrown onto the asphalt, although both he and his bicycle ended up sliding to the finish line just before being crossed by Aleksandr Vlasov and Richard Carapaz. The margin was enough to retain a victory that at times seemed to slip from his hands.

The conclusion capped off a race of 173.8 kilometers that was resolved among a small group of favorites. In the final ascent, Carapaz intensified the selection and ended up being part of the trio that would contest the victory alongside Vlasov and Slock. The Belgian arrived at the last kilometer practically on the lookout, but launched a powerful sprint from the last position in the group to open a decisive gap.

After crossing the finish line, still dazed from the impact, Slock needed a few seconds to process what had happened. It was no small feat: he had just achieved the first professional victory of his career at the age of 25, and he had done it in a way that he would hardly forget.

The day also left good feelings for other Belgian riders. Thibau Nys finished fourth after winning the sprint of the chasing group, while Jarno Widar finished sixth.

Top 10 GP Gippingen 2026

1. Liam Slock (Lotto) – 4:15:24
2. Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – s.t.
3. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) – at 1 s
4. Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) – at 3 s
5. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) – at 3 s
6. Jarno Widar (Lotto) – at 3 s
7. Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team) – at 3 s
8. Lukas Nerurkar (EF Education-EasyPost) – at 3 s
9. Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) – at 3 s
10. Marcel Camprubí (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – at 3 s