2026 Veenendaal-Veenendaal Classic (1.1), Netherlands

Veenendaal-Veenendaal Classic podium history | 2024 edition (race not run in 2025) | Course map | Start list

Veenendaal - Veenendaal, 178.8 kilometers

Matteo Moschetti wins the race.

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Weather at the start/finish city of Veenendaal at 2:30 PM, local time: 29C (85F), sunny, with the wind from the southwest at 14 km/hr (9 mph). No rain is forecast.

The race: Here's the report from second-place Manuel Peñalver's Team Polti-VisitMalta.

Team Polti VisitMalta kicked off its three-race block between the Netherlands and Belgium with a triple top-10 at the Veenendaal Classic!

And to think that during the first half of the race the Polti VisitMalta sextet became a quartet because of two withdrawals: unfortunately Adrián Benito had to abandon after feeling unwell, while a crash put Gabriele Raccagni out of contention and forced Javier Serrano to make a big effort to get back on. As a reaction to the bad luck, the remaining riders became even more united and the lead-out train worked perfectly: Manuel Peñalver finished 2nd in the sprint, beaten only by Matteo Moschetti of Q36.5, with Tommaso Bessega in 5th place, Serrano 6th and Andrea Pietrobon further back after a superb job protecting and positioning his teammates in the peloton.

Peñalver: “This is a great result both for me, with my third podium of the season, and for our squad, considering Tommaso and Javier finished right behind me. Even more so if we consider the difficult circumstances, with the crash and the two DNF. In the end, raced for Adrián and Gabriele too!”

Sports director Jesús Hernández: “Our riders had to deal with a complicated situation, but they confirmed they have both the form and, above all, the maturity to react with determination. They deserved every single point earned today and we’ll try to collect more between the Grand Prix Criquielion and the Antwerp Port Epic.”

Meanwhile, in the Aosta Valley stage of the Giro d’Italia — with the summit finish that saw favourite Jonas Vingegaard take over the Maglia Rosa — Ludovico Crescioli once again stood out. Strongly supported in the opening phase by Mattia Bais and Alessandro Tonelli, the Tuscan talent spent 73 kilometres in a large breakaway before staying with the best GC-men for a long time until the beginning of the final ascent.

Sports director Giovanni Ellena: “We’ve been in the breakaway for the twelfth time in the 14 stages raced so far, with Crescioli managing to get away through sheer strength and moving up to 28th place overall. But everyone is fighting day after day and we’re showing the best image of ourselves.”