Jarno Widar leaves Pidcock with no answer to claim the 2026 Tour of Guangxi

Jarno Widar has put the perfect finishing touch on his first season as a professional. The 20-year-old Belgian has decisively won the final stage of the Tour de Guangxi 2026, leaving Tom Pidcock without a response on the grueling final slopes of Nongla. A victory that also allows him to conquer the general classification and debut his WorldTour palmarès in double fashion. Pidcock finished second, while Louis Barré completed the podium of the Chinese race that concludes the WorldTour calendar for 2026.

Widar seals the Tour de Guangxi 2026 with a devastating attack in Nongla

After five stages resolved by sprint finishes, the Tour de Guangxi reserved all the excitement of the general classification for its final kilometers. The sixth stage, covering 165.6 kilometers between Yizhou and Nongla, ended with a climb of just over three kilometers with gradients exceeding 10%, a perfect scenario for the most explosive riders.

The day's breakaway consisted of Jonas Rickaert, Laurenz Rex, Arjen Livyns, Martin Urianstad Bugge, and Yutao Shen. However, the peloton kept the gaps under control and neutralized the last escapees at the beginning of the final climb.

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It was then that the real battle began. Rémy Rochas tried to anticipate the favorites' move, but Peter Oxenberg (INEOS) launched one of the most promising attacks and managed to open up a significant gap with 1.6 kilometers to go.

The Dane seemed to have a chance to surprise, until Louis Barré accelerated from the chasing group and triggered a reaction from Tom Pidcock.

The British rider from Pinarello Q36.5 launched a powerful change of pace that only Jarno Widar was able to follow. Both caught up to Oxenberg in the last 300 meters, but just when it seemed that Pidcock had victory within reach, the young Belgian responded with an even more forceful acceleration.

Widar left the Brit behind on the final slopes and crossed the finish line with a six-second advantage. Barré finished third, ten seconds back, while Marco Brenner was fourth and Martin Tjotta fifth. 

A victory that confirms Jarno Widar's progression

The triumph represents a new leap in the trajectory of the Lotto-Intermarché rider, who just twelve days ago achieved his first professional victory at the Tre Valli Varesine, precisely ahead of Tom Pidcock.

Now, in his first season at the highest level, Widar achieves his first WorldTour victory and becomes the youngest winner in the history of the Tour de Guangxi.

Pidcock once again falls short of a significant victory after his second places in the Giro dell'Emilia and the Tre Valli Varesine, although he finishes the Chinese race with another podium position.

Meanwhile, Juan Ayuso finished sixth in the stage, 16 seconds behind Widar, and occupies that same position in the final general classification, 26 seconds behind the Belgian. Javier Romo from Movistar finished twelfth in the final standings, 37 seconds back. 

The race thus concludes an edition in which sprinters have been the protagonists until the last day. Paul Magnier has accumulated two stage victories and set a new historical record of seven wins in Guangxi, Milan Fretin has also achieved two, and Frits Biesterbos has secured the first WorldTour victory of the season for Picnic PostNL.

But the final word belonged to Widar, who succeeds Paul Double in the palmarès and becomes the second Belgian to win the race in the last three editions, after Lennert Van Eetvelt in 2024.

With his victory in Nongla, the Tour de Guangxi definitively lowers the curtain on the men's WorldTour 2026, leaving one of the last great performances of the season in the hands of one of the most promising young talents in the peloton.

Results of the sixth stage of the Tour de Guangxi 2026

1. Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) – 3:39:05
2. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) – +6"
3. Louis Barré (Visma | Lease a Bike) – +10"
4. Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling) – +11"
5. Martin Tjøtta (Uno-X Mobility) – +15"
6. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) – +16"
7. Peter Øxenberg (Netcompany INEOS) – +19"
8. Clément Braz Afonso (Groupama-FDJ United) – +21"
9. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) – +21"
10. Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – +23"

Final general classification of the Tour de Guangxi 2026

1. Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) – 22:22:45
2. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) – +9"
3. Louis Barré (Visma | Lease a Bike) – +16"
4. Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling) – +21"
5. Martin Tjøtta (Uno-X Mobility) – +22"
6. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) – +26"
7. Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – +29"
8. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) – +31"
9. Clément Braz Afonso (Groupama-FDJ United) – +31"
10. Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – +33"