The Eneco Tour returns: teams and routes announced for the new women’s and men’s races

ASSEN – On Thursday, the Eneco Tour announced the participating teams and the route for the 2026 edition at the Drents Museum. From October 13 through 18, women and men will race over the same route for six days, with different start times and adjusted distances where necessary. The race begins with an evening prologue in The Hague and ends in Arnhem.

Media update Eneco Tour 2026 – (photo Eneco Tour, image is royalty-free for editorial use)

The Eneco Tour brings together the former Simac Ladies Tour and the NIBC Tour of Holland, which returned last year, into a new event. Both races will retain their own race formats and general classifications.

 

Race director Roxane Knetemann: “The women’s race is not a side event, but a full-fledged race alongside the men’s race. Bringing both races together creates a stronger event and a larger national and international stage for women’s and men’s cycling.”

 

Knetemann also broke the news that in the prologue, women and men will start alternately. This will not be the case in the time trial in Tilburg.


Participating Teams
Fifteen teams will compete in the men’s race: seven UCI WorldTeams, three UCI ProTeams, and five UCI Continental Teams. Fifteen teams are also on the women’s entry list: six UCI Women’s WorldTeams, two UCI Women’s ProTeams, five UCI Women’s Continental Teams, and two club teams. The complete list is included in the attachment. The final rosters of riders will be announced closer to the start.

Men’s and women’s teams

Across the Netherlands from The Hague to Arnhem
Following the evening prologue in The Hague, a flat stage through the Veluwe will take place, starting and finishing in Ede. An individual time trial is scheduled in Tilburg, followed by a hilly stage from Sittard to Watersley. The penultimate stage in Drenthe runs from Hoogeveen to the VAM-berg, where the general classification could become even tighter. A day later, back in Gelderland, the overall winners will be honored in Arnhem.

 

For several stages, the organizers have opted for local loops and largely closed-off courses. Thijs Rondhuis of Courage Events: “This setup makes the course easier to manage, limits traffic disruption, and gives the public the chance to see the race multiple times. Two races in one day require precise planning. The safety of riders, spectators, and staff remains our top priority.”

 

Sustainability Ambition

Eneco will return as the title sponsor and main sponsor starting in 2026. The organization aims to develop the Eneco Tour into an increasingly sustainable cycling race, with concrete measures related to energy, transportation, mobility, and waste. For example, all of the organization’s vehicles are from mobility partner smart and are 100% electric.

 

Mariska van Drooge-Parlevliet of Eneco: “Cycling is widely popular in the Netherlands and gets people moving, both literally and figuratively. This new race for women and men fits the vision of a contemporary and inclusive event. Together, we want to show how we’re making the Eneco Tour more sustainable, step by step. Moreover, our ambition is to continue innovating this special race with unique fan experiences that bring this new energy to life.”

 

Cycling festivals and public activities will take place around the stages, and various local initiatives will also be launched.

 

The NTFU ensures that the bicycle is the ideal mode of transportation by installing special bike racks at all stage locations where touring cyclists can safely park their road bikes and charge electric bikes using green electricity from Eneco.

 

The Hersenstichting is organizing a prologue in The Hague featuring well-known participants, including Edwin van der Sar and Annemarie van der Sar, Viggo Waas, and Lucinda Brand.

 

The Eneco Cheering Zone and activities organized by mobility partner Smart and PostNL are also part of the program. Apparel partner CRAFT is supplying the clothing and, of course, the champion jerseys.

 

Simac is the technology partner for both the women’s and men’s races.

 

The Red Bull Kilometer is also making a comeback. This is a bonus sprint that will take place in stages 1, 3, 4, and 5. The first three riders to cross the finish line will receive 6, 4, and 2 seconds in time bonuses, respectively.

 

It’s worth noting that the Postcode Loterij will continue to serve as the social partner of the Eneco Tour in 2026.

Media update Eneco Tour 2026: Roxane Knetemann en Thijs Rondhuis.

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