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Follow us on GoogleIt was gone for a while, but the Eneco Tour is well and truly back. As the successor to the NIBC Tour of Holland , this week features six days of racing in the Netherlands, from The Hague to Arnhem via Ede, the VAM climb, and the hills of Limburg, among other places. In this article, IDL Pro Cycling looks ahead to the men’s race.
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Last year, for the first time in years, we saw another Tour of the Netherlands. Back then, it was Christophe Laporte who claimed victory in the stage race after six days of racing, with a dream finish in Arnhem: there, Dutch champion Danny van Poppel won the final stage.
Recent Winners of the Eneco Tour (Men)
2025 Christophe Laporte
Eneco Tour 2026: Route, times, and favorites for stage wins
Prologue, Tuesday, October 13: The Hague – The Hague (3.1 km)
Just like in 2025, the Eneco Tour will start at the Sportcampus in Zuiderpark in The Hague, with a 3-kilometer prologue. This prologue was won in 2025 by Ethan Hayter, with Cameron Rogers in second place and Jakob Söderqvist in third.
Times
Start: 5:00 p.m GMT
End: 8:00 p.m GMT
Start: 5:00 p.m GMT
End: 8:00 p.m GMT
Favourites
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)
Jakob Soderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)
Jakob Soderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Stage 1, Wednesday, October 14: Ede – Ede (120 km)
The first stage of the race offers opportunities for the sprinters. The start and finish of this stage are in Ede, where we’ve seen several Dutch championships take place in recent years. Danny van Poppel won the red-white-blue jersey there in 2025, but he won’t be competing this season.
Times
Start: 12:25 p.m GMT
Finish: 3:00 p.m GMT
Start: 12:25 p.m GMT
Finish: 3:00 p.m GMT
Favourites
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL)
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL)
Stage 2, Thursday, October 15: Tilburg – Tilburg (13.6 km, individual time trial)
For the second time in three days, an individual time trial is on the schedule for Thursday. This time in Tilburg, where a 13.8-kilometer time trial will be held.
Times
Start: 11:45 a.m GMT
End: 2:00 p.m GMT
Start: 11:45 a.m GMT
End: 2:00 p.m GMT
Favourites
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)
Jakob Soderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)
Jakob Soderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Stage 3, Friday, October 16: Sittard - Watersley (110.5 km)
On Friday, the stage that unfortunately had to be canceled last year is on the schedule: from Sittard to Watersley. The 110.5-kilometer stage features a tricky course, with plenty of twists and turns and sections over Limburg’s calf-busters.
There are a total of four climbs per lap on the course, namely: Sittardseweg (600 m at 4.6%), the Schatsberg (700 m at 4.4%), the Windraak (690 m at 4.6%), and the final stretch leading to the finish line on Watersley (750 m at 4.2%).
Times
Start: 12:15 p.m GMT
Finish: 4:00 p.m GMT
Start: 12:15 p.m GMT
Finish: 4:00 p.m GMT
Favourites
Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step)
Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step)
Stage 4, Saturday, October 17: Hoogeveen – VAM-berg (144.8 km)
What would a Dutch cycling race in 2026 be without the VAM climb? Just like last year, the stage in Drenthe is the centerpiece of the Eneco Tour route. The riders will start on Saturday in Hoogeveen and head from there toward the landfill near Wijster.
Last season, Timo de Jong surprised Lukas Kubis and Christophe Laporte here, though Laporte did manage to lay the groundwork for his overall victory.
Times
Start: 12:45 p.m GMT
Finish: 3:00 p.m GMT
Start: 12:45 p.m GMT
Finish: 3:00 p.m GMT
Favorites
Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Stage 5, Sunday, October 18: Arnhem - Arnhem (149.2 km)
Just as it did in 2025, Arnhem has the honor of hosting the final stage of the Eneco Tour, on the circuit where Dylan Groenewegen became Dutch champion in 2024.
Last season, however, we saw that a sprint finish isn’t a foregone conclusion: a small group that included Van Poppel broke away, and ultimately that year’s Dutch champion took the victory.
Times
Start: 11:30 a.m GMT
Finish: 2:45 p.m GMT
Start: 11:30 a.m GMT
Finish: 2:45 p.m GMT
Favourites
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché)
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché)
Favourites for the Overall Classification of the 2026 Eneco Tour
Seven WorldTour teams are making the effort to compete in the Eneco Tour, but the key to the race seems to lie with Visma | Lease a Bike. Not only are they fielding defending champion Christophe Laporte, but they’re also surrounding him with strong riders.
Victor Campenaerts, Menno Huising, Filippo Fiorelli, Edoardo Affini, and Pietro Mattio could all go far as well. Unlike last season, however, the team won’t have Olav Kooij at its disposal, so Arthur van Dongen’s men may opt for a more aggressive racing strategy.
Read more below the photo!
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek are leaving their big stars at home, but we still think Mick van Dijke, Finn Fisher-Black, and Davide Donati on one side, and Jakob Soderqvist and Edward Theuns on the other, are capable of going far.
Unfortunately, Soudal Quick-Step will be without Dylan van Baarle, but in addition to Tim Merlier’s sprints, Pepijn Reinderink is also someone to keep an eye on. Ethan Hayter, on the other hand, is in the race for the time trials, as he isn’t really at home in the peloton.
The Unibet Rose Rockets are fielding Dylan Groenewegen, while Lukas Kubis appears to be their general classification contender on paper. Wessel Mouris and Tomas Kopecky will also find a course that suits them. Picnic PostNL, on the other hand, is counting on Nils Eekhoff and Pavel Bittner.
Also worth watching on the start list are Tim Marsman ( Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jonas Rutsch ( Lotto-Intermarché), Bert Bolle (VolkerWessels), Michiel Coppens, and National Championship revelation Jochem Kerckhaert (BEAT), among others.
IDL Pro Cycling top picks, 2026 Eneco Tour
Top Favorite: Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Dark horses: Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Nils Eekhoff (Picnic PostNL), Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step), and Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Long shots: Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets), Mick van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Filippo Fiorelli, Menno Huising (Visma | Lease a Bike), Tim Marsman (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jonas Rutsch (Lotto-Intermarché), Jakob Soderqvist (Lidl-Trek), and Jochem Kerckhaert (BEAT)
Dark horses: Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Nils Eekhoff (Picnic PostNL), Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step), and Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Long shots: Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets), Mick van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Filippo Fiorelli, Menno Huising (Visma | Lease a Bike), Tim Marsman (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jonas Rutsch (Lotto-Intermarché), Jakob Soderqvist (Lidl-Trek), and Jochem Kerckhaert (BEAT)
How to watch the 2026 Eneco Tour on TV
You can watch the Eneco Tour live this week on Eurosport and HBO Max.
Read also
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- The “king is dead” line feels premature. Pogačar has dominated this race for years, and one brilliant Seixas win doesn’t mean his reign is over. The article leans a bit too hard into the hype.patriciaw12-10-2026
- How does Seixas’s win compare with Gerbi’s in 1905? Was the race anything like the Lombardia riders face today?michael5412-10-2026
- Evenepoel finishing fourth while apparently struggling is still a solid result, though it’s surprising he couldn’t carry his European title form into the race.bikebuffj12-10-2026
- Nibali’s point about Del Toro racing Gran Piemonte makes sense. UAE needed him fresh for Lombardia, especially with Pogačar absent.jeremya12-10-2026
- Seixas looked completely in control on Civiglio. Winning Lombardia at that age is extraordinary; the comparisons with Pogačar are inevitable, but he deserves to be judged on his own ride.tourdeforce912-10-2026
- How can he race a mountain-bike event just 15 hours after Lombardia? Does that mean he had to recover on the way there? I’m still figuring out how these races fit together!sprocketspiny12-10-2026
- Winning Lombardia without Pogačar there is still a huge achievement, though the headline makes it sound like Seixas is already chasing him personally. Is there any indication he’s actually considering UAE for 2028?andrewf12-10-2026
- The UAE interest is worth watching, but he’s under contract through 2027 and Decathlon clearly have a major talent to build around. No need to rush the transfer speculation.samanthak12-10-2026
- He’s right to keep Pogačar as the benchmark rather than claiming he’s already there. Second at Strade and Liège, plus fourth on his Tour debut at 19, is an incredible platform.robert6512-10-2026
- Seixas attacking on the Civiglio and then lining up at Roc d’Azur the next day is wild. The win matters, but that appetite to race says a lot about him.julien12-10-2026
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