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Saturday, October 17: Stage 4, Hoogeveen - Col du VAM, 149.8 km

Stage 4 map & profile

Victor Vercouillie wins stage four. Photo: Getty Images

Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the city of Wijster, aprox 5 km from the Col du VAM at 2:45 PM, local time: 12C (54F), rain showers, with the wind from the north at 24 km/hr (15 mph). The rain is forecast to continue through 4:00 PM.

The race: Here's the report from GC leader Victor Campenaerts' Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

Victor Campenaerts successfully defended his leader’s jersey in the fourth stage of the Eneco Tour. On the challenging finish at the Col du VAM, Christophe Laporte finished sixth. Campenaerts crossed the line in ninth place, remaining the overall leader with just one stage to go. The victory eventually went to early breakaway rider Victor Vercouillie.

The 145-kilometer stage from Hoogeveen to the Col du VAM was the queen stage of this year’s Eneco Tour. Along the way, the riders had to tackle the Col du VAM several times. A few cobbled sections in the first half of the race also made the course more challenging.

A five-man breakaway formed early in the race. The peloton kept the escapees’ advantage under control but failed to close the gap completely before the finale. Campenaerts looks back on today’s stage with satisfaction: “It was nice to see how we raced today. We always race in a very organised way and are fully committed to the team goal. It’s the first time that I’m the team goal, so that’s quite special.”

Up front, the breakaway riders managed to stay clear of the peloton. Behind the winner, Laporte sprinted to sixth place, twelve seconds behind Vercouillie. Campenaerts finished ninth in the same group of favourites, securing his leader’s jersey. “We wanted to win the stage with Christophe, but he wasn’t feeling entirely confident, so we gave the breakaway some room. The lead-out he then gave me to make sure nobody could pass us was really impressive,” Campenaerts said.

“Tomorrow will be hectic. Last year, it was full gas from start to finish. We’ll defend this leader’s jersey as best we can, and perhaps, if the stage is hard enough, we can still go for the win with Christophe,” the Belgian concluded. With just one stage remaining, Campenaerts continues to lead the general classification.

Complete results:

149.8 kilometers raced at an average speed of 43,554 km/hr

1	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	3hr 26min 22sec
2	Ceriel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 2sec
3	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto Intermarché	s.t.
4	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
5	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
6	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:12
7	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
8	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
9	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
10	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
11	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:14
12	Tomáš Kopecký	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
13	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
14	Hartthijs De Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
15	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
16	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	0:19
17	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
18	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
19	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto Intermarché	s.t.
20	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
21	Otto Van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
22	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto Intermarché	s.t.
23	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
24	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
25	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
26	Sebastian Grindley	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
27	Lukáš Kubiš	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
28	Julius Van Den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	0:24
29	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:26
30	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	0:30
31	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	0:33
32	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	0:34
33	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
34	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
35	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
36	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
37	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
38	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto Intermarché	s.t.
39	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	0:39
40	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	0:41
41	Taco Van Der Hoorn	Lotto Intermarché	s.t.
42	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
43	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
44	Pierre Thierry	TotalEnergies	0:44
45	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:53
46	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:11
47	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	1:13
48	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
49	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
50	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
51	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	1:23
52	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:42
53	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	1:50
54	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	2:08
55	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
56	Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto Intermarché	2:10
57	Rik Van Der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	2:14
58	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	2:17
59	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	2:22
60	Florian Dauphin	TotalEnergies	2:32
61	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	2:54
62	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
63	Nicola Marcerou	TotalEnergies	s.t.
64	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
65	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
66	Paul Conor	TotalEnergies	s.t.
67	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	2:57
68	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	3:45
69	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	4:24
70	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	4:56
71	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	5:40
72	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
73	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
74	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	5:51
75	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	6:10
76	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	6:13
77	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	6:32

 

GC after stage 4:

• GC leader: Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Points classification leader: Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
• Best young rider: Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché)
• Teams classification leader: Unibet Rose Rockets

397.0 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 45.431 km/hr

1	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	8hr 44min 19sec
2	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	@ 17sec
3	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:30
4	Tomáš Kopecký	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:40
5	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	1:02
6	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	1:06
7	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:09
8	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	1:18
9	Pierre Thierry	TotalEnergies	1:19
10	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto Intermarché	1:22
11	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto Intermarché	1:33
12	Hartthijs De Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:35
13	Lukáš Kubiš	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:37
14	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:45
15	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	2:00
16	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	2:07
17	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	2:14
18	Julius Van Den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	2:16
19	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	2:18
20	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	2:20
21	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto Intermarché	2:27
22	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:38
23	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	2:40
24	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
25	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:41
26	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	3:03
27	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	3:04
28	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
29	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	3:06
30	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	3:15
31	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	3:27
32	Otto Van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	3:42
33	Paul Conor	TotalEnergies	4:10
34	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	4:19
35	Florian Dauphin	TotalEnergies	4:36
36	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	5:29
37	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	6:19
38	Sebastian Grindley	Lidl-Trek	6:39
39	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	6:47
40	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	7:02
41	Ceriel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	7:06
42	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	7:27
43	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	7:46
44	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	7:50
45	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	7:56
46	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto Intermarché	8:00
47	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	8:06
48	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	8:15
49	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	8:16
50	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	8:23
51	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	8:27
52	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
53	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	8:35
54	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	8:43
55	Rik Van Der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
56	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
57	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	8:47
58	Taco Van Der Hoorn	Lotto Intermarché	8:50
59	Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto Intermarché	8:52
60	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	8:59
61	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	9:03
62	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	9:14
63	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	9:30
64	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	9:37
65	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	9:54
66	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	10:04
67	Nicola Marcerou	TotalEnergies	10:18
68	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	10:38
69	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	10:45
70	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	11:14
71	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	11:19
72	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	11:30
73	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	12:10
74	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	13:01
75	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	13:50
76	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	13:55
77	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	14:32

 

Stage 4 map & profile:

Stage 4 map

Stage 4 final 3 kilometers

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Friday, Octrober 16: Stage 3, Sittard - Watersley, 110.5 km

Stage 3 map & profile

Mick van Dijk wins stage three ahead of Victor Campenaerts.

Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Watersley at 2:35 PM, local time: 22C (71F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the southwest at 16 km/hr (10 mph). There is a 2% chance of rain.

The race: Here's the stage three report from winner Mick van Dijke's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.

Riding as part of a breakaway, Mick van Dijke secured the first victory of his career. On the third stage of the Eneco Tour through the Netherlands, the 26-year-old won a two-man uphill sprint.

The stage, just 110 kilometres long, was contested on a circuit to be completed five times, featuring a number of small hills. The decisive factor, however, was the wind, which split the peloton into several smaller groups. Just under 40 kilometres from the finish, Mick managed to break away into the leading group, which from then on comprised seven riders.

As they entered the final lap, three of them remained. Shortly afterwards, Victor Campenaerts attacked and only Mick was able to follow. The duo reached the foot of the finishing climb with a lead of just under half a minute over the first pursuers, where the Dutchman then proved to be the stronger rider.

Finn Fisher-Black remains third in the general classification

Finn Fisher-Black crossed the finish line in ninth place, 33 seconds behind. He remains third in the general classification, 30 seconds behind the new leader, Campenaerts. Mick also made a leap forward and is now seventh, exactly one minute behind.

Mick van Dijke: "Finally, I’ve managed to get my first win, something I’ve been chasing for five and a half years. I took it easy in the time trial to save some energy for today, and that plan worked out pretty well.The situation in the race wasn’t entirely straightforward for me. I was in the breakaway, but I couldn’t contribute to the pace because Finn was also fighting for the general classification. It was only when I was alone with Campenaerts that I started to help out a little. In the end, that also helped me in the finale, as I had a bit more left in the tank."

Complete results:

110.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 45.452 km/hr

1	Mick van Dijke	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	2hr 25min 52sec
2	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	@ 1sec
3	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	0:09
4	Pierre Thierry	Team TotalEnergies	0:10
5	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:13
6	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	0:33
7	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
8	Tomas Kopecky	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
9	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
10	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	0:35
11	Paul Conor	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
12	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	0:39
13	Hartthijs de Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:44
14	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	0:58
15	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
16	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
17	Lukas Kubis	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
18	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
19	Florian Dauphin	Team TotalEnergies	1:03
20	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
21	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:13
22	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	1:22
23	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	1:24
24	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto-Intermarché	1:26
25	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
27	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
28	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
29	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
30	Julius van den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
31	Otto van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
32	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:32
33	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
34	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	1:34
35	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
36	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:36
37	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	1:42
38	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	1:45
39	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	3:18
40	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	4:38
41	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	4:40
42	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
43	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	4:58
44	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
45	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
46	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
47	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
48	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	6:00
49	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
50	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
51	Seb Grindley	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
52	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
53	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
54	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
55	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
56	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
57	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
58	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
59	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
60	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
61	Nicola Marcerou	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
62	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
63	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
64	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
65	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
66	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
67	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
68	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
69	Cériel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
70	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
71	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
72	Rik van der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	6:08
73	Jarne van de Ven	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	6:30
74	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	6:36
75	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	6:42
76	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	6:44
77	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
78	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
79	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
80	Kristian Egholm	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
81	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	8:55

 

GC after stage 3:

• GC leader: Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike)
• Points classification leader: Jakob Soderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
• Best young rider: Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché)
• Teams classification leader: Unibet Rose Rockets

247.2 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 46.678 km/hr

1	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	5hr 17min 45sec
2	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	@ 15sec
3	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:30
4	Tomas Kopecky	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:38
5	Pierre Thierry	Team TotalEnergies	0:47
6	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	0:59
7	Mick van Dijke	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:00
8	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	1:02
9	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:09
10	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	1:15
11	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	1:16
12	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	1:26
13	Paul Conor	Team TotalEnergies	1:28
14	Lukas Kubis	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:30
15	Hartthijs de Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:33
16	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:38
17	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
18	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
19	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:45
20	Julius van den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	2:04
21	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto-Intermarché	2:05
22	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	2:11
23	Florian Dauphin	Team TotalEnergies	2:16
24	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:17
25	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	2:22
26	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	2:33
27	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	2:34
28	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	2:36
29	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	2:39
30	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	2:42
31	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	2:43
32	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	2:49
33	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
34	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	2:53
35	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	2:57
36	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	3:05
37	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	3:22
38	Otto van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	3:35
39	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	4:03
40	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	5:41
41	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
42	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	5:51
43	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	5:57
44	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	6:02
45	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	6:19
46	Seb Grindley	Lidl-Trek	6:32
47	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	6:35
48	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	6:38
49	Rik van der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	6:41
50	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	6:47
51	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
52	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto-Intermarché	6:54
53	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	7:00
54	Kristian Egholm	Lidl-Trek	7:05
55	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	7:09
56	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	7:15
57	Jarne van de Ven	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	7:17
58	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	7:20
59	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	7:21
60	Cériel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	7:26
61	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
62	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	7:27
63	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
64	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	7:28
65	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	7:33
66	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	7:34
67	Nicola Marcerou	Team TotalEnergies	7:36
68	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	7:41
69	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	7:46
70	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	7:56
71	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	7:58
72	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	8:03
73	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	8:11
74	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto-Intermarché	8:16
75	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	8:21
76	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	8:27
77	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	8:29
78	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	8:34
79	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	8:37
80	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	8:57
81	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	10:15

 

Stage 3 maps:

Stage 3 map

Map of stage 3's final 3 kilometers

---

Thursday, October 15: Stage 2, Tilburg 13.6 km individual time trial

Stage 2 map

GC leader Jakob Söderqvist wins stage two.

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the race city of Tilburg at 2:45 PM, local time: 21 C (70F), cloudy, with the wind from the south-southwest at 14 km/hr (9 mph). There is just a 2% chance of rain.

The race: Here's the stage two report from stage winner & GC leader Jakob Söderqvist's Team Lidl-Trek.

Jakob Söderqvist extended his lead in the overall standings of the Eneco Tour on Stage 2, claiming victory in the individual time trial in Tilburg after also winning the prologue already.

Söderqvist completed the 13.6-kilometre course in 15:04 minutes, finishing eleven seconds ahead of runner-up Finn Fisher-Black of New Zealand and British rider Ethan Hayter.

After three of the six race days at the Dutch stage race, the 23-year-old now leads the overall standings by 14 seconds over Hayter and 15 seconds over Fisher-Black.

Söderqvist was on course for victory from the very start of the time trial in Tilburg. Not even a moment of concern in a right-hand bend, when his rear wheel slipped, could change that.

“I like to keep the ones behind me in the car a bit on their toes,” Söderqvist smirked in the winner’s interview. “No, for sure that was one of the closer calls from the last years.”

Overall, Söderqvist, who reached an average speed of more than 54 kilometers per hour, once again proved just how strong he is on the time trial bike, but also how fast he can take corners. “Just how I like it,” he said.

While Söderqvist took the win, Kristian Egholm (+ 0:32) also secured a strong tenth place, while Sebastian Grindley (+ 0:40) finished 13th. Edward Theuns (+ 0:51) came 24th, and Benedikt Benz (+ 1:27) raced to 62nd place in the fast race against the clock.

Over the next three days, the terrain in the Netherlands will become hillier. Stage 3 on Friday will cover four and a half laps of a circuit through the Limburg region, from Sittard to Watersley, featuring numerous short climbs.

Stage 4 on Saturday finishes on VAM-Berg near Hoogeveen, known for hosting the finish of the 2023 European Championships. Christophe Laporte won there on that occasion and currently trails Söderqvist by 29 seconds in the overall standings.

“The pressure will be on now – and we know how good riders like Christophe Laporte are on VAM-Berg. Even tomorrow will be already a lot of pressure from the other teams, but we are here to fight,” Söderqvist said.

The final stage on Sunday will cover 149 kilometers around Arnhem and could once again favor the sprinters.

In Jakob’s words:
"It was a fast one! I think I experienced it faster, than I expected beforehand. I didn't feel too much headwind, even though we talked a lot about it before. So I think it was just a good day. I cannot say too much more than that. There were some nice corners that kept you a bit on your toes – just how I like it. So that was a bigger pleasure than normally. Everything so far went as good as we could expect. I was strong in this race last year also, so we knew it suits me really well. But I'm happy, that the shape is still with me at this time of the year."

Complete results:

13.6 kilometers raced at an average speed of 54.159 km/hr

1	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	15min 4sec
2	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	@ 11sec
3	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	0:12
4	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	0:16
5	Tomas Kopecky	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:18
6	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:19
7	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:22
8	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:28
9	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
10	Kristian Egholm	Lidl-Trek	0:32
11	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	0:33
12	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:37
13	Seb Grindley	Lidl-Trek	0:41
14	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
15	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:42
16	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
17	Lukas Kubis	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
18	Rik van der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	0:44
19	Julius van den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	0:45
20	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
21	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	0:46
22	Jarne van de Ven	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:47
23	Pierre Thierry	Team TotalEnergies	0:51
24	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	0:52
25	Elmar Abma	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
26	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	0:54
27	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:55
28	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto-Intermarché	0:57
29	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
30	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	0:58
31	Paul Conor	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
32	Hartthijs de Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:00
33	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:01
34	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:02
35	Cériel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	1:04
36	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:05
37	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:07
38	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:10
39	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:11
40	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	1:12
41	Milan De Ceuster	Team Picnic PostNL	1:13
42	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	1:15
43	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
44	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	1:16
45	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
46	Florian Dauphin	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
47	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:18
48	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
49	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	1:20
50	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	1:22
51	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
52	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
53	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	1:23
54	Mick van Dijke	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
55	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:25
56	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:26
57	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
58	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
59	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
60	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
61	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	1:27
62	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	1:28
63	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
64	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	1:29
65	Frank van den Broek	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
66	Mathis Avondts	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	1:32
67	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
68	Nicola Marcerou	Team TotalEnergies	1:33
69	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:35
70	Luke Verburg	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	1:37
71	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
72	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:38
73	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:39
74	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	1:40
75	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
76	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:42
77	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	1:44
78	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:45
79	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	1:46
80	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	1:52
81	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	1:53
82	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	1:59
83	Otto van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	2:03
84	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	2:11
85	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	2:16
86	Stef Koning	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	2:22
87	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	2:25

 

GC after stage 2:

• GC leader: Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
• Points classification leader: Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
• Best young rider: Michel Mouris (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
• Teams classification leader: Lidl-Trek

136.7 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 47.802 km/hr

1	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	2hr 51min 35sec
2	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	@ 14sec
3	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:15
4	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:20
5	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	0:22
6	Tomas Kopecky	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:23
7	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
8	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
9	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:31
10	Kristian Egholm	Lidl-Trek	0:39
11	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:43
12	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	0:44
13	Seb Grindley	Lidl-Trek	0:50
14	Lukas Kubis	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
15	Rik van der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	0:51
16	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:53
17	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
18	Julius van den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	0:56
19	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto-Intermarché	0:57
20	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	0:58
21	Pierre Thierry	Team TotalEnergies	0:59
22	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:01
23	Elmar Abma	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
24	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	1:03
25	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:05
26	Jarne van de Ven	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
27	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	1:05
28	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	1:06
29	Hartthijs de Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:07
30	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:09
31	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	1:11
32	Paul Conor	Team TotalEnergies	1:11
33	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto-Intermarché	1:12
34	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:17
35	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:18
36	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
37	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:19
38	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:22
39	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	1:25
40	Mick van Dijke	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	1:30
41	Florian Dauphin	Team TotalEnergies	1:31
42	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:33
43	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	1:34
44	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	1:35
45	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	1:37
46	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
47	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:38
48	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
49	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	1:39
50	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
51	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	1:41
52	Frank van den Broek	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
53	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:43
54	Cériel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	1:44
55	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
56	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	1:45
57	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
58	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	1:46
59	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:51
60	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	1:52
61	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	1:54
62	Nicola Marcerou	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
63	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
64	Mathis Avondts	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	1:55
65	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
66	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	1:56
67	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	1:57
68	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
69	Luke Verburg	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	1:58
70	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
71	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	1:59
72	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	2:02
73	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	2:03
74	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	2:04
75	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	2:09
76	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	2:11
77	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	2:14
78	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	2:21
79	Otto van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	2:27
80	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	2:29
81	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	2:31
82	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto-Intermarché	2:34
83	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	2:39
84	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	2:47
85	Stef Koning	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	2:48
86	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	2:52
87	Milan De Ceuster	Team Picnic PostNL	2:54

 

Stage 2 maps:

Stage 2 map

Stage 2 final kilometer

---

Wednesday, October 14: Stage 1, Ede - Ede, 120 km

Stage 1 map

Here's a screen grab of the finish video, Tim Merlier taking a clear win.

Plato's dialogue Crito is available both in audiobook and Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the start/finish city of Ede at 2:30 PM, local time: 17C (63F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the southwest at 13 km/hr (8 mph). There is just a 2% chance of rain.

The race: Thor Michielson (Lidl-Trek) did not start.

Here's the report from stage winner Tim Merlier's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Tim Merlier made the most of his first sprint opportunity at the Eneco Tour, taking victory on Wednesday with a powerful finish. Following Tuesday’s evening prologue, the race continued with a 120km stage starting and finishing in Ede, where our sprinter rewarded his teammates’ efforts with a convincing win.
Positioning proved crucial in the closing kilometres, and the team helped bring Tim into contention, before the Belgian judged his moment and launched his sprint, surprising his rivals with an acceleration that carried him clear by several bike lengths.

“I’m really happy with this victory. We had to find each other in the finale, but in the end we did very well and my teammates put me in a good position. Dylan (Groenewegen) was waiting a little, so I decided to launch my sprint and try to surprise the others. This kind of finish suits me well, and I think I showed that again today,” said Tim.

Complete results:

120 kilometers raced at an average speed of 47.064 km/hr

1	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	2hr 32min 59sec
2	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
3	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
4	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
5	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
6	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
7	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
8	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
9	Florian Dauphin	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
10	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
11	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
12	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
13	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
14	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
15	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
16	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
17	Pierre Thierry	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
18	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
19	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
20	Mathis Avondts	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
21	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
22	Kristian Egholm	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
23	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
24	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
25	Seb Grindley	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
26	Lukas Kubis	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
27	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
28	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
29	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
30	Elmar Abma	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
31	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
32	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
33	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
34	Paul Conor	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
35	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
36	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
37	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
38	Julius van den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
39	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
40	Tomas Kopecky	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
41	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
42	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
43	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
44	Hartthijs de Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
45	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
46	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
47	Mick van Dijke	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
48	Otto van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
49	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
50	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
51	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
52	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
53	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
54	Nicola Marcerou	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
55	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
56	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
57	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
58	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
59	Frank van den Broek	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
60	Stef Koning	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
61	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
62	Rik van der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
63	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
64	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
65	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
66	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
67	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
68	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
69	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
70	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
71	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
72	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
73	Luke Verburg	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
74	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
75	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
76	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
77	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
78	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
79	Jarne van de Ven	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
80	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	@ 23sec
81	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
82	Cériel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
83	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	0:30
84	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:37
85	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	0:41
86	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
87	Milan De Ceuster	Team Picnic PostNL	1:31

 

GC after stage 1:

• GC leader: Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
• Points classification leader: Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
• Best young rider: Michel Mouris (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
• Teams classification leader: Unibet Rose Rockets

123.1 kilometers raced so far at an average speed of 47.190 km/hr

1	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	2hr 36min 31sec
2	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	@ 1sec
3	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
4	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	0:02
5	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
6	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:03
7	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:04
8	Tomas Kopecky	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:05
9	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	0:06
10	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
11	Hartthijs de Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:07
12	Kristian Egholm	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
13	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
14	Mick van Dijke	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
15	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
16	Rik van der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
17	Pierre Thierry	Team TotalEnergies	0:08
18	Lukas Kubis	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
19	Seb Grindley	Lidl-Trek	0:09
20	Elmar Abma	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
21	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
22	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	0:10
23	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:11
24	Julius van den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
25	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
26	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
27	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
28	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
29	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
30	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	0:12
31	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
32	Frank van den Broek	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
33	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
34	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:13
35	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
36	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
37	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
38	Paul Conor	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
39	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto-Intermarché	0:15
40	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
41	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
42	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
43	Florian Dauphin	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
44	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
45	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:16
46	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
47	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
48	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	0:17
49	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
50	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
51	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
52	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
53	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:18
54	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
55	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
56	Jarne van de Ven	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
57	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
58	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:19
59	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
60	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
61	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
62	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
63	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
64	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:20
65	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
66	Luke Verburg	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	0:21
67	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
68	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
69	Nicola Marcerou	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
70	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	0:22
71	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:23
72	Mathis Avondts	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
73	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
74	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
75	Otto van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	0:24
76	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
77	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:26
78	Stef Koning	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
79	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:29
80	Cériel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	0:40
81	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:41
82	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	0:43
83	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	0:46
84	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:55
85	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	1:00
86	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto-Intermarché	1:08
87	Milan De Ceuster	Team Picnic PostNL	1:41

 

Stage 1 maps:

Stage 1 map

Final 3 km of stage one.

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Tuesday, October 13: The Hague (Den Haag) 3.1 km Prologue Individual Time Trial

Prologue map

Speedy Jakob Söderqvist on his way to winning the prologue time trial.

Les Woodland's book Cycling Heroes: The Golden Years is available in the print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the race city of The Hague at 6:35 PM, local time: 18C (65F), fair, with the wind from the west at 29 km/hr (18 mph). There is just a 2% chance of rain.

The race: First rider off was Robbe Claeys (Volkervessels Cycling Team) at 6:34 PM.

Here's the race report from thrid-place Christophe Laporte's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike and defending champion Christophe Laporte got off to a positive start in the Eneco Tour on Tuesday evening. The Frenchman clocked the third-fastest time in the prologue, finishing just over one second behind winner Jakob Söderqvist.

As in the previous edition, the Eneco Tour got underway with a short prologue. The riders faced a 3.1-kilometer course in Zuiderpark in The Hague. On Tuesday evening, during the opening of the six-day race, it all came down to pure speed and explosiveness. Victor Campenaerts rode a strong prologue and was the fastest rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike for a long time.

Edoardo Affini and Laporte were among the group of riders who took to the course last. Affini was unable to match Söderqvist’s winning time, with the Italian eventually finishing ninth. Laporte came closer, but still fell just short. The 33-year-old rider was just over one second off the mark and recorded the third-fastest time.

Laporte looks back on his race against the clock with satisfaction. “It was a special evening, with this late start at a beautiful location. I rode a good prologue. This is a strong start, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the week. Tomorrow will probably be a bunch sprint, followed by the time trial on Thursday. After that, the days for the general classification will come. That’s the goal this week.”

Complete results and GC after the prologue:

3.1 kilometers raced at an average speed of 52.642 km/hr

1	Jakob Söderqvist	Lidl-Trek	3min 32sec
2	Wessel Mouris	Unibet Rose Rockets	@ 1sec
3	Christophe Laporte	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
4	Ethan Hayter	Soudal Quick-Step	0:02
5	Michiel Mouris	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:03
6	Finn Fisher-Black	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:04
7	Tomas Kopecky	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:05
8	Pepijn Reinderink	Soudal Quick-Step	0:06
9	Edoardo Affini	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
10	Hartthijs de Vries	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:07
11	Kristian Egholm	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
12	Victor Campenaerts	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
13	Mick van Dijke	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
14	Sente Sentjens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
15	Rik van der Wal	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
16	Pierre Thierry	Team TotalEnergies	0:08
17	Lukas Kubis	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
18	Seb Grindley	Lidl-Trek	0:09
19	Elmar Abma	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
20	Pavel Bittner	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
21	Milan De Ceuster	Team Picnic PostNL	0:10
22	Filippo Fiorelli	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
23	Davide Donati	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:11
24	Julius van den Berg	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
25	Milan Lanhove	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
26	Edward Theuns	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
27	Ferre Geeraerts	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
28	Joeri Schaper	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
29	Bram Dissel	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	0:12
30	Tuur Verbeeck	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
31	Frank van den Broek	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
32	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
33	Simon Goossens	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
34	Danijel Agricola	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:13
35	Victor Vercouillie	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
36	Nolan Huysmans	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
37	Bert Van Lerberghe	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
38	Paul Conor	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
39	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk	Lotto-Intermarché	0:15
40	Thor Michielsen	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
41	Julian Vergouw	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
42	Rick Ottema	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
43	Nils Eekhoff	Team Picnic PostNL	s.t.
44	Thomas Monkelbaan	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
45	Florian Dauphin	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
46	Roy Hoogendoorn	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
47	Finn Crockett	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:16
48	Chiel Schulten	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
49	Steffen De Schuyteneer	Lotto-Intermarché	0:17
50	Benedikt Benz	Lidl-Trek	s.t.
51	Jesse Kramer	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
52	Pietro Mattio	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
53	Gerben Thijssen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
54	Cériel Desal	Soudal Quick-Step	s.t.
55	David Dekker	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
56	Gijs Schoonvelde	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	0:18
57	Bert Bolle	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
58	Menno Huising	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	s.t.
59	Mike Bronswijk	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
60	Jarne van de Ven	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	s.t.
61	Sebastian Putz	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe	s.t.
62	Marijn Maas	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
63	Tim Naberman	Team Picnic PostNL	0:19
64	Thor Verleysen	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
65	Jochem Kerckhaert	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
66	Florian Sénéchal	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
67	Max Kroonen	BEAT CC p/b Saxo	s.t.
68	Alan Jousseaume	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
69	Robbe Claeys	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	0:20
70	Siebe Roesems	Alpecin-Premier Tech	s.t.
71	Siebe Deweirdt	Team Flanders-Baloise	0:21
72	Steijn Oosterveld	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
73	Nicola Marcerou	Team TotalEnergies	s.t.
74	Niek Voogt	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	0:22
75	Dylan Groenewegen	Unibet Rose Rockets	s.t.
76	Luke Verburg	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	0:23
77	Mattanja Woets	VolkerWessels Cycling Team	s.t.
78	Mathis Avondts	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
79	Taco van der Hoorn	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
80	Leander Van Hautegem	Team Flanders-Baloise	s.t.
81	Hugo Paats	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam	s.t.
82	Otto van Zanden	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	0:24
83	Jonas Rutsch	Lotto-Intermarché	s.t.
84	Johan Dorussen	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:25
85	Elmar Reinders	Unibet Rose Rockets	0:26
86	Stef Koning	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg	s.t.
87	Tars Poelvoorde	Lotto-Intermarché	0:27
88	Roan Konings	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel	0:29

 

Prologue Time Trial map:

Prologue map

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Start list with back numbers, October 12, 2026

	Team Visma | Lease a Bike
1	Christophe Laporte
2	Edoardo Affini
3	Filippo Fiorelli
4	Victor Campenaerts
5	Menno Huising
6	Aldo Taillieu
	Alpecin-Premier Tech
11	Tim Marsman
12	Simon Goossens
13	Florian Sénéchal
14	Sente Sentjens
15	Gerben Thijssen
16	Henri Uhlig
	Lidl-Trek
21	Andrea Bessega
22	Kristian Egholm
23	Seb Grindley
24	Jakob Söderqvist
25	Edward Theuns
26	Max Walscheid
	Lotto-Intermarché
31	Steffen De Schuyteneer
32	Felix Ørn-Kristoff
33	Tars Poelvoorde
34	Taco van der Hoorn
35	Roel van Sintmaartensdijk
36	Tuur Verbeeck
	Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
41	Davide Donati
42	Finn Fisher-Black
43	Michiel Mouris
44	Mick van Dijke
45	Tim van Dijke
46	Danny van Poppel
	Soudal Quick-Step
51	Ethan Hayter
52	Yves Lampaert
53	Tim Merlier
54	Pepijn Reinderink
56	Bert Van Lerberghe
	Team Picnic-PostNL
61	Pavel Bittner
62	Nils Eekhoff
63	Tim Naberman
64	Julius van den Berg
65	Frank van den Broek
66	Casper van Uden
	Team Flanders-Baloise
71	Siebe Deweirdt
72	Ferre Geeraerts
73	Nolan Huysmans
74	Milan Lanhove
75	Leander Van Hautegem
76	Victor Vercouillie
	Team TotalEnergies
81	Rayan Boulahoite
82	Florian Dauphin
83	Thomas Gachignard
84	Nicola Marcerou
85	Jason Tesson
86	Pierre Thierry
	Unibet Rose Rockets
91	Joren Bloem
92	Hartthijs de Vries
93	Lukas Kubis
94	Niklas Larsen
95	Wessel Mouris
96	Elmar Reinders
	Azerion / Villa Valkenburg
101	Mathis Avondts
102	Stef Koning
103	Steijn Oosterveld
104	Otto van Zanden
105	Luke Verburg
106	Niek Voogt
	BEAT CC p/b Saxo
111	Michiel Coppens
112	David Dekker
113	Bram Dissel
114	Jochem Kerckhaert
115	Jesse Kramer
116	Max Kroonen
	EEW-VDK Cyclingteam
121	Mike Bronswijk
122	Thomas Monkelbaan
123	Rick Ottema
124	Chiel Schulten
125	Rik van der Wal
126	Guillaume Visser
	Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel
131	Danijel Agricola
132	Victor Broex
133	Johan Dorussen
134	Ryan Gal
135	Samuel Gunnink
136	Karst Hayma
	VolkerWessels Cycling Team
141	Elmar Abma
142	Bert Bolle
143	Finn Crockett
144	Robbe Claeys
145	Thor Verleysen
146	Mattanja Woets