A look back at the Eneco Tour 2026!

The Eneco Tour concluded on Sunday with Lieke Nooijen and Victor Campenaerts, both of Team Visma – Lease A Bike, as the overall winners. Over six days, the race combined a women’s and a men’s race into a single event. Relatively short stages and exciting circuits formed the basis for a format centered on safety and an engaging race. The high pace from start to finish resulted in competitively challenging races. A step forward was also taken off the track: together with Eneco, the organizers made the prize money for women and men equal for this edition.

The organizers are especially grateful to the riders and their teams, who put on a spectacular race over six days in sunny and sometimes autumnal conditions. From the evening prologue in The Hague, the Eneco Tour proceeded via Ede and Tilburg to Watersley in Limburg, then from Hoogeveen to the VAM-berg, and finally to Arnhem. Sprinters, time trialists, and breakaway riders all had their chances.

 

Final Stage in Arnhem
Tim Merlier and Marthe Truyen won the final stages of the 2026 Eneco Tour. Merlier claimed his second stage victory, ahead of Dylan Groenewegen and Davide Donati. Truyen, along with Scarlett Souren, stayed just ahead of the chasing peloton; Charlotte Kool finished third. Nooijen also won the points classification; among the men, that honor went to Jakob Söderqvist. Steffen de Schuyteneer and Nienke Vinke won the youth classifications. Rick Ottema and Jeanne Korevaar received the red jersey for their fighting spirit in the final stage.

Safety and an Exciting Race as a Guiding Principle
The Eneco Tour deliberately opts for relatively short stages and straightforward circuits. Safety is a key guiding principle in this regard, alongside the ambition to organize exciting races. This format offers better opportunities to secure the course and manage the race. In doing so, the organization also aims to respond to its own desire—as well as the international call from riders—to place greater emphasis on safety in the way races are organized.

 

Sporting Challenge
The sporting challenge was evident from the very first days. Jakob Söderqvist and Lieke Nooijen won both the prologue in The Hague and the time trial in Tilburg. In Ede, the sprint victories went to Tim Merlier and Sandrine Tas.

 

The fact that a strong time trial was no guarantee of the overall victory became clear on the way to Watersley. In the men’s stage of approximately 110 kilometers, the wind, the Limburg hills, and attacking riders stretched out the peloton.

 

Mick van Dijke claimed his first professional victory, while Victor Campenaerts took over the leader’s jersey. In the women’s race, Femke Markus held off the chasers after a solo breakaway. On the VAM climb, Letizia Borghesi and Victor Vercouillie secured victories.

Men and Women in a Single Event
For the first time, this format brought together the Dutch women’s and men’s road races, held on the same days and featuring the same stage locations. In the prologue in The Hague, men and women took turns starting. Both races maintained their own competitive dynamics and standings within a joint program.

 

Race Director Roxane Knetemann: “We’re looking for an organizational approach that fits the future of cycling in the Netherlands. Safety is a key starting point in this regard. With relatively short stages, a compact field of riders, and straightforward circuits, we aim to organize and manage the races effectively. At the same time, we’ve seen this week that this format produces a lot of racing action, with attacks from the start and a high pace all the way to the finish. We’ll use these experiences to further develop the race.”

 

That development was also reflected in the prize money during the race. The UCI scales initially used specified different amounts for men and women. Following Charlotte Kool’s public appeal, Eneco and the organizers decided to accelerate the planned equalization and immediately raise the women’s prize money to the same level as the men’s.

Cooperation along the route
The organizing committee looks back on a successful week, thanks to the cooperation with the stage host towns, the police, traffic controllers, volunteers, and other stakeholders. The organizing committee is especially grateful for the police’s efforts during this edition to ensure the necessary safety.

Covered even off the course
The Eneco Tour was broadcast live in Europe on Eurosport. In addition, the races were streamed via various online channels operated by AD and NU. The race generated hundreds of news stories both in the Netherlands and abroad.

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