Renewi Tour 2026 Preview | The only WorldTour stage race in the Benelux is a sprinters' paradise

The WorldTour races come thick and fast in August. On Saturday, it’s time for the Vuelta a España, but by then we’ll already be in the midst of the Renewi Tour a little further north: the biggest stage race in the Benelux. IDL Pro Cycling looks ahead.

The Renewi Tour is considered one of the races where the classic specialists can compete for the overall victory. This is also evident from the race’s list of winners, which—in addition to Grand Tour winners like Tom Dumoulin—includes primarily classics specialists such as Niki Terpstra, Mathieu van der Poel, Sonny Colbrelli, and Tim Wellens.

Last season, Arnaud De Lie took the overall victory after a thrilling battle with Van der Poel. Incidentally, the Dutchman won’t be competing this season, as he has shifted his focus to mountain biking after the Tour de France.

In the first stage of the Renewi Tour, Diest serves as both the start and finish. The opening stage winds through the Hageland region, but will primarily be an early opportunity for the fast riders in the field.

Times
Start: 1:00 p.m CET
Finish: 5:15 p.m CET

Favorites
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM)

Day two is as flat as a pancake, starting by the sea in Blankenberge and finishing, as is traditional, in Ardooie. There, the sprinters will once again battle it out.

Times
Start: 1:15 p.m CET
Finish: 5:07 p.m CET

Favorites
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)

The queen stage of the Renewi Tour will take place on day three, in and around Geraardsbergen. That means the Muur and Bosberg—the classic combination from the Tour of Flanders—will take center stage before we finish at De Vesten.

Times
Start: 12:40 p.m CET
Finish: 5:06 p.m CET

Favorites
Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Florian Vermeersch (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Mike Teunissen (XDS-Astana)

Just like last season, the fourth stage runs from Riemst to Bilzen. There are a few hills along the way in Belgian Limburg, but last season, Tim Merlier “simply” won.

Times
Start: 11:40 a.m CET
Finish: 4:05 p.m CET

Favorites
Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Biniam Girmay (NSN)
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Just like last year, the final stage of the Renewi Tour will take place in Leuven, on roads we know from the 2021 World Cycling Championships. Last season, the peloton remained fairly large, with about 50 riders, so that’s another scenario we’ll need to keep an eye on.

Times
Start: 11:40 a.m CET
Finish: 3:55 p.m CET

Favorites
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché)
Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious)

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert won’t be there, but there are still plenty of top riders heading to the Renewi Tour. For example, defending champion Arnaud De Lie will be there representing Lotto-Intermarché—he’s the kind of rider who can go far in a race like this: strong, but also fast. After all, the Golden Kilometer usually plays a key role in the Renewi Tour.

That way, we can also highlight riders such as Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Corbin Strong, Biniam Girmay (NSN), Mike Teunissen ( XDS-Astana), Tim and Mick van Dijke, and Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe).

Experience has shown, however, that Stage 3 in particular is crucial, so we’re looking to the classic riders for that stage. With Tim Wellens out, Florian Vermeersch will lead the charge for UAE Emirates-XRG, while Visma | Lease a Bike is counting on Louis Barré and Per Strand Hagenes.

Decathlon CMA CGM has Tiesj Benoot, Paul Lapeira, and Daan Hoole, while Bahrain Victorious is counting on the duo of Alec Segaert and Matej Mohoric. Jonas Abrahamsen is the key rider for Uno-X; XDS-Astana will field Alberto Bettiol alongside Teunissen; EF Education-EasyPost will rely on the Danish duo of Kasper Asgreen and Michael Valgren; and Tudor will start with Matteo Trentin.

IDL Pro Cycling top picks for the 2026 Renewi Tour

Top Favorites: Florian Vermeersch (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Dark horses: Mike Teunissen (XDS-Astana), Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), and Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Long shots: Paul Lapeira, Tiesj Benoot (Decathlon CMA CGM), Alec Segaert, Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Corbin Strong (NSN), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X), Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Alberto Bettiol (XDS-Astana), and Matteo Trentin (Tudor)

You can follow the Renewi Tour this week on Eurosport/HBO Max in the UK, US and Canda. The race will finish around 5:00 p.m CET on the first three days, and then an hour earlier on the weekend. See above for specific stage timings.