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2026 Ethias Tour de Wallonie (2.Pro), Belgium
47th edition: June 1 - 5, 2026

Tour de Wallonie podium history | 2025 edition | Start list
Stage 1

Overall map of the 2026 Tour de Wallonie

Monday, June 1: Stage 1, Manage - Lobbes, 180.7 km

Stage 1 map & profile

Jordi Meeus (far right) wins stage one. Photo: Sprint Cycling

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Weather at the finish city of Lobbes at 2:40 PM, local time: 22C (72F), partly cloudy, with the wind from the southwest at 11 km/hr (7 mph). No rain is forecast.

The stage: The Grand Départ of the Ethias Tour de Wallonie will take place in Manage, in the Centre region. This marks the first time that Manage has hosted this stage race. The first part of the course will be relatively flat as it heads toward Walloon Brabant. The riders will then tackle the demanding cobbled sector of the Rue de l’Abbaye in Villers-la-Ville, stretching nearly 3 kilometers. After the first sprint in Spy, the riders will descend toward the Sambre River and encounter the Tour’s first major challenge: the Côte de Trémouroux.

The peloton will skirt the Charleroi urban area before heading toward the final circuit. After crossing the finish line in Lobbes for the first time, the riders will head toward the Mur de Thuin, which they must ascend twice. The finish itself will be contested at the top of a false flat rising for over 2,500 meters. The winner will undoubtedly be a powerful rider.

The race: Here's the report from second-place Anders Foldager's Team Jayco AlUla.

Team Jayco AlUla has made a strong start to the Tour de Wallonie, with Anders Foldager finishing second in stage one.

The purple MAAP jerseys of Team Jayco AlUla were impossible to miss in the 180-kilometre opening stage. Dries De Bondt was part of the early escape, alongside two other riders.

The breakaway riders built up a maximum lead of over four minutes, but with 17 kilometres to go they were caught by the chasing peloton.

On the local final circuit, which included the short climb of the Mur de Thuin, there were plenty of attacks afterwards. Foldager attacked as well and showed there that he had come to Belgium with high ambitions.

Ultimately, the stage ended in a bunch sprint. The 24-year-old Foldager, winner of the Flèche Brabançonne earlier this season, sprinted strongly to claim second place.

Anders Foldager:
“As a team, we rode aggressively and took risks. In the end, I went for the sprint and finished second, which earned me some crucial bonus seconds for the general classification! I’m pleased with that. This was a good start to my next block of racing following my break.”

Flash results:

1. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) 4hr 13min 22sec
2. Anders Foldager (Jayco AlUla) s.t.
3. Kim Heiduk (Netcompany INEOS) s.t.
4. Ben Oliver (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) s.t.
5. Milan Menten (Lotto-Intermarché) s.t.
6. Liam Slock (Lotto Intermarché) s.t.
7. Joppe Heremans (Vay Rysel-Roubaix) s.t.
8. Niels Vendeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech) s.t.
9. Natnael Tesfatsion (Movistar) s.t.
10. Carlos Canal (Movistar) s.t.

GC after stage one:

1. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) 4hr 13min 22sec
2. Ander Foldager (Jayco AlUla) @ 3sec
3. Kim Heiduk (Netcompany INEOS) s.t.

Stage 1 map & profile:

Stage 1 map

Stage 1 profile

Start list with back numbers, June 1, 2026: